§ 5. Andrew Selous (South-West Bedfordshire)What recent assessment he has made of the social behaviour of children entering primary school. [135236]
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Education and Skills (Mr. Ivan Lewis)In his most recent report, Her Majesty's chief inspector of schools found that in the majority of primary schools, children's behaviour was satisfactory, with a third of primary schools showing a real improvement in that area, and that in nearly nine out of 10 primary schools, procedures for monitoring and promoting good behaviour were 424 effective. However, he has since expressed a personal concern that an increasing number of children entering primary school exhibit poor social behaviour.
§ Andrew SelousI am pleased that the Minister agrees with the chief inspector that the verbal and behavioural skills of the nation's five-year-olds are, as he put it, at an all-time low. Does he also agree that school can often be the most stable part of what may be very disrupted lives, and does he agree that the encouragement of family stability by both public and voluntary bodies is an integral part of tackling this important problem?
§ Mr. LewisIt may surprise the hon. Gentleman to learn that I entirely agree with his analysis, and with his comments about families. I believe that the issue he raises is central to helping all children to attain the level that we want them to attain, and central to breaking the cycle of intergenerational deprivation that scars so much of our society.
The sure start scheme and early intervention are making a real difference, as are early excellence centres, the universal nursery provision that will exist for all three and four-year-olds from next April, the behaviour improvement programme that now exists in 1,000 primary schools, and the fact that we have given 3,500 primary schools the opportunity to buy in expert help and support for children with behavioural and emotional problems. Intergenerational deprivation, however, is a generational challenge, and there is no quick-fix solution. I do not like it when Opposition Members demand immediate results from our interventions, as though the problems could be solved overnight. They have come into being over 30 or 40 years.
§ Mr. Andy Reed (Loughborough)I agree with the Minister that the problem is intergenerational. A cross-party group of us has met a wide range of people who are interested in the subject: members of 30 charities, of trade unions and of Christian organisations. The main theme that emerged was that children now starting school do not possess many of the social skills that many had no more than 10 years ago. Many heads in my constituency say the same.
Will the Minister work with a range of organisations not just to deliver statutory and voluntary projects, but to encourage and help parents to learn parenting skills that will remove the need for us to establish such projects to solve these social problems? Will he also work across Departments to ensure that, for instance, atypical working weeks and the working time directive enable children to be brought up in stable families and can learn many of the required social skills?
§ Mr. LewisI agree with my hon. Friend. We need a strong approach across Government, but we must also work in partnership with the voluntary sector and with families. If we are to rebuild our communities, we need those communities to recognise everyone's responsibilities. The Government is investing unprecedented levels of resources and support, but parents must fulfils their responsibility to support their children. The Green Paper "Every Child Matters" is a vital step forward: it speaks of bringing together all the professionals and experts in the statutory and voluntary 425 sectors to support children in schools and outside them, and linking that to support for families. We need a partnership between the state and families.
§ Dr. Vincent Cable (Twickenham)How will the new special needs funding formula affect the education of emotionally and behaviourally disturbed children? If schools cannot meet their own requirements and those of other units, will not disruptive children be left unsupported in mainstream classrooms, making it impossible for teachers to teach and for other pupils to learn?
§ Mr. LewisI reject that suggestion. We now have 1,500 learning mentors in primary schools across the country, and a number of learning support units. That enables schools, for the first time, to offer children more intensive one-to-one support and to forge important links with parents and families.
We are providing inclusive education, while also ensuring that the system is responsible enough to support individuals and help them to develop as we all want them to. I believe that there is both more mainstream support and more targeted support than there has ever been before.