Latest news with #Phillipson
Daily Mirror
15 hours ago
- Politics
- Daily Mirror
Mums and dads given firm 'responsibility' warning over term-time holidays
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson told The Mirror that parents have a 'responsibility' to their kids' classmates not to take them out of school during term time A minister pleaded with parents not to take their kids out of school early for the summer holidays - saying they have a "responsibility" to their classmates. Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson told The Mirror that while she understands families wanting a break together, they must think of others. She said: "If children are not in school, that doesn't just have an impact on your own child, it has an impact on the whole class. "Because what teachers tell me is that they have to cover lessons over again to help children with their catch up." And she added: "If parents then choose to take their child on termtime holidays that does have knock on consequences for everyone. "And I think it's about our responsibility not just to our own children, but our responsibility to the whole school community." Ms Phillipson has previously said she would talk to travel chiefs about pricing, while her Cabinet colleague Heidi Alexander urged airlines to "do the right thing". Last year a record 443,000 fines were issued to parents taking their children out of school during term time to go on holiday - a 53% increase since before Covid. This is despite school absence fines in England going up from £60 to £80 last September - rising to £160 for a second offence within three years. But Ms Phillipson said there are "green shoots" suggesting school absences are dropping. Analysis last year found holiday package to Greece cost £748 in term time and £1,023 in the school break. And a package to Spain cost £925 in term time and £1,179 during the school holidays. In May Transport Secretary Ms Alexander admitted there was little the Government could do to force travel firms to drive down fares. Ms Alexander told The Mirror: "Airline pricing is a matter for the airlines. And I think it's a very difficult thing for the government to interfere in. We don't have any intention of interfering in those decisions of private companies, but I can understand the frustration of parents when they are looking at the comparative costs of holidays in school holidays and school holidays. "I would ask the travel industry to consider doing the right thing. But I think there are very limited levers for Government to intervene directly in this."
Daily Mirror
15 hours ago
- Politics
- Daily Mirror
Two-child benefit cap attacked by Labour minister in hint it could be scrapped
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson, co-chair of the Government's Child Poverty Task Force, said the two-child benefit limit would not have been brought in under Labour and said it is 'clear' it is having an impact A Labour frontbencher has attacked the impact of the two-child benefit limit - in the strongest hint yet it could be ripped up. Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said it "was not something that a Labour government would have introduced" before saying it was "clear" it had an impact on child poverty. Ms Phillipson, who co-chairs the Government's Child Poverty Task Force, said she is looking at "every way in which can lift more children out of poverty". Ministers face growing calls to tear up the controversial policy, which restricts Child Tax Credit and Universal Credit to the first two children in a household. Ms Phillipson said: "The two child limit was not something that a Labour government would have introduced. "It was a measure introduced by the Conservative Party. It's clear it's had a significant impact.." The Education Secretary said she and Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall, her fellow co-chair, are looking at how social security measures can bring rates down. She said: "As part of the work that I'm doing together with the Work and Pensions Secretary, we're looking at every way in which we can lift more children out of poverty. "So all areas are under consideration, including social security measures." Think-tank the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) has estimated that half a million children could be lifted out of poverty if the two-child limit was scrapped. The policy, drawn up by Tory austerity Chancellor George Osborne, came into effect in 2017. Ms Phillipson said: "Child poverty is a scar on this country it devastates childrens' life chances but it damages all of us and we're all poorer as a result of so many children growing up in poverty." The Government's strategy was expected to be presented in the spring, but is now not set to be released until later this year. "We'll publish the child poverty strategy later this year. We want to make sure it's thorough and comprehensive and addresses all of the challenges we face, but also demonstrates clear Government action to bring down child poverty. "Of course, we're not waiting around for the child poverty strategy. I was delighted to be able to announce the expansion of free school meals eligibility to all families on Universal Credit, and that will lift at least 200,000 children out of poverty. "It will benefit more than half a million children, and it puts money directly back in the parents pockets. So that is I'm delighted we were able to deliver that, because I know it will make a really big difference to parents, to children, but also to schools as well, because what they tell me is that the damage that poverty causes affects children's ability to learn. "So that is the difference that a Labour Government is able to make within the first year." Ms Phillipson also pointed to free breakfast clubs being rolled out across the country, as well as school-based nurseries providing more childcare places, and a cut in the cost of school uniforms. "These are all practical measures that will help parents, but also will deliver better outcomes for children," she said. But the Government faces criticism after its own data suggested 50,000 children could be pushed into relative poverty by 2030 as a result of welfare cuts. " What the data doesn't take into account is the extra support that we're putting in place around supporting people back into work," she said. "It also doesn't account for the changes that we've made around free school meals. "So as a government, we are committed to bringing down the number of children growing up in poverty."
Daily Mirror
15 hours ago
- Politics
- Daily Mirror
Kids taught in cupboards as brutal school reality laid bare after neglect
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said she was appalled at the lack of investment in schools as she vowed a huge cash injection would finally turn things around Labour's education chief has voiced her anger at seeing children being taught in stationery cupboards and noisy dinner halls because schools are in a state of disrepair. Bridget Phillipson told The Mirror that inadequate buildings have a "profound" impact on young learners, who say they struggle in class as a result. Her remarks came as the Government announced a huge cash boost to crumbling schools, hospitals and courts to tackle years of neglect. Chancellor Rachel Reeves unveiled a 10-year plan to address the "decay that has seeped into our everyday lives" - with 750 schools in England set for a rebuild. Education Secretary Ms Phillipson said she was appalled by the disruption the discovery of dodgy concrete had caused two years ago, as well as neglect in schools across the country. More than 100 school buildings had to be closed after reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) - which was used for decades to save cash - was found, sparking fears of imminent collapse. Ms Phillipson said: "I visited a number of schools that were affected by RAAC, but also in schools that were struggling with completely inadequate buildings. "The impact that that had was children having lessons in a stationery cupboard that had to be converted into a classroom, a situation where the dining hall had to be given over to become a maths classroom because the maths block was out of action. "All of that has a profound impact on children's ability to learn." And describing the impact on kids she said: "The children find it disruptive. "And what they've told me is that if you're learning in a very hot, overcrowded environment, that makes it really hard to learn and to concentrate. "It makes it hard for teachers to deliver a brilliant education as well. My experience growing up was also spending quite a lot of my time in secondary schooling in portacabins. "You kept your coat on in the winter because it was so cold, and in the summer it was absolutely boiling. And that just made it very hard to learn. It's still happening." The Government announced a £38billion capital boost for England's schools by the end of the decade. Maintenance funding for schools will also rise to nearly £3billion a year by 2035. Ms Phillipson said she is confident that all RAAC cases have been identified and dealt with. She said: "I think we all recognise that it's completely unacceptable that so many children ended up going to schools that were literally being propped up by steel girders.. "There can be no more defining image of the last government than children sat in classrooms with props to stop the ceiling from falling in. "But we've got to move beyond that and not just deal with the immediate problems of decay, but also to look at a brighter future for children as well." The Government says its 10 Year Infrastructure Strategy will create a jobs boost and drive investment into the UK. The Education Secretary was yesterday(THUR) joined by Ms Reeves on a visit to Wrotham School in Kent, which is undergoing a £42million rebuild. Headteacher Michael Cater told The Mirror investment in modern facilities has a big impact on pupils. "It shows we respect their education," he said. As well as schools investment the Government has vowed to eliminate reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) from NHS buildings. Prisons in England and Wales will be awarded at least £600million a year to improve safety and security amid growing alarm in the justice sector. There will also be cash for "enhanced" law courts to ensure cases are dealt with faster. Ms Reeves said: "Infrastructure is crucial to unlocking growth across the country, but for too long investment has been squeezed. "Crumbling public buildings are a sign of the decay that has seeped into our everyday lives because of a total failure to plan and invest." TUC General Secretary Paul Nowak said: 'Britain has long been crying out for a serious, long-term infrastructure plan. Across our schools, hospitals, reservoirs and railways we have invested too little for too long. 'We have a vital opportunity to rebuild our country after more than a decade of Conservative mismanagement and neglect. We must grab it with both hands."
South Wales Guardian
27-05-2025
- Business
- South Wales Guardian
Scrapping two-child benefit cap ‘not off the table', says Education Secretary
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said it is the 'moral mission' of the Labour Government to tackle child poverty as she described Reform UK as a party 'not on the side of working people'. Sir Keir Starmer and Chancellor Rachel Reeves are under pressure to respond to mounting calls for the two-child benefit cap to be axed at a cost of around £3.5 billion. The policy means parents only receive support for up to two children through the universal credit system. The Government's child poverty strategy, which was due to be published in the spring, is now set to come out in the autumn so it can be aligned with the Chancellor's budget. Asked if she would 'scrap' the cap, Ms Phillipson told BBC Breakfast: 'We're certainly looking at it as part of the task force. As I say, nothing's off the table but this is not straightforward, the costs are high. 'When we came into Government we had to make some difficult decisions about how we got the economy back on a stable footing, because actually it's working people who lose out when you have that kind of instability that we saw under Liz Truss, when mortgage rates went up, rent went up as a result of all of the instability and the chaos. 'But I came into politics to tackle child poverty, to make sure that wherever you're from doesn't determine what you can go on to achieve in life, to break that link between background and success. 'That is the moral mission of this Labour Government. That is what we are all as a Government determined to deliver.' She added: 'We'll set it all out later on this year, in the autumn. I think it's important that we get it right. 'So what we've heard from experts, from organisations, from those who are supporting families and children in poverty, is that they want a comprehensive strategy that addresses every aspect of how we can make sure that fewer children are growing up in poverty.' On Tuesday Reform UK leader Nigel Farage is to make his 'pitch to working people' by committing to scrapping the two-child benefit cap and reinstating the winter fuel payment. Ms Phillipson said Mr Farage's party is 'not serious'. She told Sky News: 'Reform previously supported introducing, or the predecessor party, supported introducing the two-child cap. 'I don't think it's serious to suggest that millionaires should receive the winter fuel allowance, but we are committed to ensuring that more pensioners can benefit from the winter fuel allowance, as the Prime Minister said last week. 'Reform are the people that don't believe in the NHS, working people would be lost without the NHS. They don't believe in it in its current form. They don't believe in it into the future. They would seek to dismantle it as it exists now, free at the point of need. 'That's who Reform are. It's just not serious. They're not on the side of working people.' Meanwhile, Conservative shadow chancellor Mel Stride said his party would not get 'carried away with this idea that Nigel Farage is a party of the right'. He told Times Radio: '(The Reform) manifesto had £140 billion of giveaways in it, both tax and spending. 'They say they would have taken everybody earning up to £20,000 out of income tax altogether, at a cost of £60 billion. Not a shred of evidence that they have any way that they know how to actually fund that. 'And (Mr Farage) is now today standing up, he's going to say something about winter fuel payment and the two-child benefit cap, meaning that people can continue to have more children, and that will be funded and covered by the state – that is a left-wing position, and it also comes with a price tag of £5 billion between those two measures. 'He has not got a clue as to how any of that is going to be funded and we've seen that playbook before, and it doesn't lead to a good place.'
Powys County Times
27-05-2025
- Business
- Powys County Times
Scrapping two-child benefit cap ‘not off the table', says Education Secretary
Scrapping the two-child benefit cap is 'not off the table', a Cabinet minister has said. Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said it is the 'moral mission' of the Labour Government to tackle child poverty as she described Reform UK as a party 'not on the side of working people'. Sir Keir Starmer and Chancellor Rachel Reeves are under pressure to respond to mounting calls for the two-child benefit cap to be axed at a cost of around £3.5 billion. The policy means parents only receive support for up to two children through the universal credit system. The Government's child poverty strategy, which was due to be published in the spring, is now set to come out in the autumn so it can be aligned with the Chancellor's budget. Asked if she would 'scrap' the cap, Ms Phillipson told BBC Breakfast: 'We're certainly looking at it as part of the task force. As I say, nothing's off the table but this is not straightforward, the costs are high. 'When we came into Government we had to make some difficult decisions about how we got the economy back on a stable footing, because actually it's working people who lose out when you have that kind of instability that we saw under Liz Truss, when mortgage rates went up, rent went up as a result of all of the instability and the chaos. 'But I came into politics to tackle child poverty, to make sure that wherever you're from doesn't determine what you can go on to achieve in life, to break that link between background and success. 'That is the moral mission of this Labour Government. That is what we are all as a Government determined to deliver.' She added: 'We'll set it all out later on this year, in the autumn. I think it's important that we get it right. 'So what we've heard from experts, from organisations, from those who are supporting families and children in poverty, is that they want a comprehensive strategy that addresses every aspect of how we can make sure that fewer children are growing up in poverty.' On Tuesday Reform UK leader Nigel Farage is to make his 'pitch to working people' by committing to scrapping the two-child benefit cap and reinstating the winter fuel payment. Ms Phillipson said Mr Farage's party is 'not serious'. She told Sky News: 'Reform previously supported introducing, or the predecessor party, supported introducing the two-child cap. 'I don't think it's serious to suggest that millionaires should receive the winter fuel allowance, but we are committed to ensuring that more pensioners can benefit from the winter fuel allowance, as the Prime Minister said last week. 'Reform are the people that don't believe in the NHS, working people would be lost without the NHS. They don't believe in it in its current form. They don't believe in it into the future. They would seek to dismantle it as it exists now, free at the point of need. 'That's who Reform are. It's just not serious. They're not on the side of working people.' Meanwhile, Conservative shadow chancellor Mel Stride said his party would not get 'carried away with this idea that Nigel Farage is a party of the right'. He told Times Radio: '(The Reform) manifesto had £140 billion of giveaways in it, both tax and spending. 'They say they would have taken everybody earning up to £20,000 out of income tax altogether, at a cost of £60 billion. Not a shred of evidence that they have any way that they know how to actually fund that. 'And (Mr Farage) is now today standing up, he's going to say something about winter fuel payment and the two-child benefit cap, meaning that people can continue to have more children, and that will be funded and covered by the state – that is a left-wing position, and it also comes with a price tag of £5 billion between those two measures. 'He has not got a clue as to how any of that is going to be funded and we've seen that playbook before, and it doesn't lead to a good place.'
