Bridget Phillipson has been addressing solving inequalities in education, including in Sunderland.
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00:00Okay then Bridget, I mean one of the things which I know is an issue both here in Sunderland
00:04and nationally is teacher recruitment and retainment. As you know I'm one of the ones
00:08who left the profession after 17 years. Basically it started affecting my health. I was running
00:12two departments between two schools to save money basically. So what are the government
00:17planning on doing over your next term of office to try and solve that situation and to keep
00:22more teachers in the profession and to encourage more people to enrol and train to become teachers?
00:27So what I've been clear about since becoming Secretary of State for Education is that I'm
00:30resetting the relationship between government and the profession. And that's why I was delighted
00:35that we were able to deliver a 5.5% pay award for teachers, something that the last government
00:40had dodged. We've got a manifesto commitment to 6,500 new teachers and I want teaching
00:46to be the go-to place for the best graduates. But I know that the strongest recruitment
00:50strategy is having a brilliant retention strategy. We have to keep more experienced staff in
00:55the classroom. I know that sadly too many people are leaving because of the pressures
00:59of the job. That's about workload, it's about dealing with some of the pressures that they
01:03see in the classroom. But what I also hear a lot from staff is that increasingly they're
01:07having to deal with big social problems, issues around housing, child poverty and it's making
01:12the job really tough. So that's why the government is focused on driving down child poverty numbers
01:17and also putting in place more support for families so that teachers and staff can really
01:22focus on delivering a great education for children.
01:24I know the Ofsted system has changed, the overall judgment has been abolished, although
01:30my understanding is there's going to be report cards. So what was the rationale behind getting
01:34rid of the overall judgment and how is it going to be replaced going forward in the
01:38future?
01:39The system that we had before, those one or two word judgments for schools, I think was
01:44low information but high stakes for staff. And the system we're going to put in place
01:48will be a report card system so much more information for parents, a clearer sense
01:53of what's working within a school but also where there's areas for improvement. There'll
01:57be a full consultation process through Ofsted and through the department around what the
02:02replacement looks like and we'll be setting out more before too long.
02:06I mean funding has been an issue in schools for quite a long time. In my time in the classroom
02:11between starting my career and finishing my teaching career I did notice a big drop in
02:15what I had in my departmental budget and we ended up, there was a ban on colour photocopy
02:19and I ended up having to copy stuff myself. There was textbooks which were getting old
02:24and couldn't be replaced. I know money, just throwing money at things doesn't always solve
02:28it but is the plans to invest more money in schools to help teachers with funding the
02:32things that these children need?
02:34Money is really tight and we inherited a £22 billion black hole in the public finances
02:39but despite that at the last budget we did protect key education priorities so it means
02:44we've been able to put more money into schools, we've been able to invest more in school rebuilding
02:49and also more in support for children with special educational needs and disabilities.
02:53Now that is also an area where we need to see big reform because I know that parents
02:57are losing confidence and children are getting the support that they need. So we've started
03:01that process of investing in education and delivering better life chances for all our
03:06children. There will be some tough choices that still lie ahead but this Labour government
03:10has put education right back front and centre of national life because we know that if we
03:14want to break down the link between background and success then investing in our children
03:19and their futures is absolutely essential.
03:22I mean obviously Sunderland does lag behind in terms of national attainment with Progress 8.
03:29I mean how do you think we go about tackling that and driving up results in Sunderland?
03:34We've inherited a big challenge where it comes to regional inequality so right across the
03:37country we see big gaps between areas but also within communities you know more disadvantaged
03:44children are less likely to get good results than those from better off households so some
03:48really big challenges there that go to issues around child poverty, around housing, around
03:53how much money families have got but also investing in our teachers and the work that
03:59we'll be setting out around more on school improvement to support schools that are facing
04:03some of the greatest challenge are just some of the ways that we intend to address that.
04:07I mean obviously you've just come to the job as Secretary of State for Education.
04:10If you can set out your where would you like to see schools in five years and if you get
04:13two terms in office in ten years you know if you could just sort of picture what the
04:17situation would be for schools for the children in Sunderland and across the country what
04:21would you envisage?
04:22What would you like to see say in five years and ten years time?
04:24It is going to take us time and that's why Keir Starmer has talked about a decade of
04:27national renewal but there's a lot that we can get on and do and that we've already started
04:31to get underway whether that's rolling out breakfast clubs in primary schools and the
04:35pay award for teachers to make sure we keep people in the profession, the curriculum and
04:39assessment review that we've launched so there's a lot that's already happening.
04:43My vision is for a society where regardless of background you have every chance to get
04:49on in life where the town that you're from, the family that you're born into doesn't determine
04:53everything that you can go on to achieve and I want all children to achieve and thrive
04:57so to do as well as they possibly can in academic subjects but also to be happy and healthy
05:03and safe and to really want to come to school and feel appreciated and valued while here.
05:08Just last question, obviously you are our local MP, how much have you enjoyed the job
05:11so far since you took over?
05:14Being Secretary of State for Education is the best job in government, I'm sure my other
05:19colleagues in cabinet would say that they've got the best job but I think education is
05:22just so crucial to the future of our country and it is such a privilege to be Secretary
05:27of State for Education but I haven't lost sight of my responsibilities as a constituency
05:31MP which is why it's brilliant to be here at Farringdon as part of the ceremony around
05:37the official reopening and to be out and about around the constituency today meeting with
05:41residents and businesses.