Speeches by Paffey.

“Out of those two, what would you say is the more pressing one? Is it the structure that means you are essentially a traded service rather than being funded as you would like to, or is it the demand for the statutory work around needs assessments?”

“We recognise that the staff shortages have an impact on how much direct support can be provided in educational settings. Beyond that, what challenges are your members facing? This is a question to Lisa and Janet to begin with. What are your members facing in those barriers to being able to offer that direct support?”

“Professor Kessler, sticking with the comments on commissioning referred to as potentially chaotic at points, obviously your research refers to a myriad of commissioning challenges. Basically what are the priorities, locally and nationally, for getting that sorted? What action needs to take place? What, if any, role do …”

“I was recently at a family hub in my constituency looking at some of the work that they do, as effectively reinvented Sure Start centres. Given the things that we are talking about, that need for better integration between health, education, early years, and given the fact that they all continue despite extra Governmen…”

“Sadly, after years of Tory Government, fewer younger people in Southampton Itchen are successfully engaged in employment, education or apprenticeships compared with the national average. What specific steps will the Secretary of State take to ensure that apprenticeship and university routes are equally valued and equal…”

“I know a number of you made suggestions in your answers to the first question, so that is good to have those on record as well.”

“A number of you have mentioned the rising number of students in the sector, and we have heard about the extra capacity—space and equipment—that is going to be needed to accommodate them. Does the Government’s capacity funding go far enough on that? If not, what else can be done by providers and teachers to mitigate the…”

“I should probably put on record, Chair, that until my election, I was a member of the UCU, which Jo leads. Let us turn to the other £300 million that we were mentioning, so the capital funding for colleges that was announced for 2025-26. How do each of you believe that funding should be prioritised?”

“I will be asking about capital later.”

“A number of you have raised issues thinking about the student experience, and we know that generally they are less satisfied and more likely to drop out than peers doing other qualifications. Some things that have been cited as factors of that are lack of familiarity with the qualification and a misunderstanding of its…”

“Good morning. You will know that the curriculum and assessment review’s interim report was published last week, and in it, T-levels were described as the gold standard of vocational qualifications. I would be interested to hear if you share that view and what your assessment of T-levels is.”

“A number of you have mentioned the rising number of students in the sector, and we have heard about the extra capacity—space and equipment—that is going to be needed to accommodate them. Does the Government’s capacity funding go far enough on that? If not, what else can be done by providers and teachers to mitigate the…”

“I should probably put on record, Chair, that until my election, I was a member of the UCU, which Jo leads. Let us turn to the other £300 million that we were mentioning, so the capital funding for colleges that was announced for 2025-26. How do each of you believe that funding should be prioritised?”

“I will be asking about capital later.”

“I know a number of you made suggestions in your answers to the first question, so that is good to have those on record as well.”

“A number of you have raised issues thinking about the student experience, and we know that generally they are less satisfied and more likely to drop out than peers doing other qualifications. Some things that have been cited as factors of that are lack of familiarity with the qualification and a misunderstanding of its…”

“Good morning. You will know that the curriculum and assessment review’s interim report was published last week, and in it, T-levels were described as the gold standard of vocational qualifications. I would be interested to hear if you share that view and what your assessment of T-levels is.”

“Are you currently looking at it, or will you approach that closer to 2027?”

“The other question is more general, about the funding of FE. At various points, the Committee has heard evidence that the FE sector has experienced what is quoted as a prolonged period of reduced funding, and that the Government must increase spending urgently. Do you agree with the assessment that the sector is underf…”

“That is a fair point about rallying regional Governments and devolved Governments. Presumably, you still intend to make representations to the Department for Education on why it needs to ensure that the funding for this is sustainable. Can you say a little bit about what representations you intend to make or perhaps ar…”