Olivia Bailey
MP for Reading West and Mid Berkshire · Labour · United Kingdom
“While we understand that the owner is not currently in administration, there are robust protocols that will be followed if an administrator ends up being appointed. This process would include considering the conduct of the company’s directors and an assessment of whether further review or investigation was warranted.”
“Friend that in this case, as with any closure, we are working closely with the local authority to ensure that places are available in local, state-funded schools for any child who requires one. I am happy to keep her up to date with this.”
“Friend the Member for Clwyd East (Becky Gittins), I have asked officials for advice on ways that we could consider recording the ownership of private schools to understand better who is potentially making any profit or who is taking relevant business decisions. I also reassure my hon.”
“I sincerely thank my hon. Friend the Member for City of Durham (Mary Kelly Foy) for calling this debate, for her excellent speech and for her important advocacy on this crucial topic.”
“I am grateful to my hon. Friend for her advocacy on this topic both in the Chamber and outside it. I am extremely concerned to hear of the practice that has been described this evening. I am happy to meet with her, my hon.”
“On the topic of our statutory powers in relation to independent schools, the Department has a robust system in place around how proprietors are registered and regulated. The proprietor is the person or persons legally responsible for the running of the school.”
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“I thank the right hon. Lady for raising that specific point, but it is clear in the guidance that an item can be loaned as long as it is not compulsory. That is a perfectly reasonable situation that enables school sports teams to loan uniform items.”
“Tonight, the House has the opportunity to support free school meals for half a million more children, swift action to protect our children online, and the most significant safeguarding measures in a generation. This is a landmark Bill, but it is also a Labour Bill—because it is ambitious for every single child in this country. I urge the House to support Labour’s vision for our children and for our country’s future. Lords amendment 3 disagreed to. Lords amendment 5 disagreed to.”
“I thank Members from across the House for their varied and valuable contributions. We have heard a number of powerful speeches that made really important points. I am very sorry that I do not have enough time to respond in detail, but I will endeavour to write to Members who asked specific questions. This is a Bill with opportunity at its heart—opportunity for every child, no matter the circumstances they are born into. It will make children safer online and offline, with our ambitious, swift action on social media and phones; it will help to tackle the cost of living crisis with our action on free school meals and the cost of uniforms; and it will drive up standards in our schools and improve outcomes for children in care.”
“I also agree with her on the importance of children being able to find themselves in books—a theme that we have heard throughout the afternoon. The hon. Member for Strangford (Jim Shannon) gave a characteristically engaging speech, and I really enjoyed hearing about the joy that his five grandchildren find in reading—”
“It was quite fun to have a full meeting with her to iscuss school food, and I congratulate her on her efforts and on her lovely school. I also have very fond memories of World Book Day with my children—who I packed off this morning in their outfits—especially from when they were younger. One year, my son chose to dress up as the green frog from “Room on the Broom”, which I think is a very good choice of outfit. I was pleased to hear all Members’ reflections today. My hon. Friend the Member for Dulwich and West Norwood was right to thank all those involved in running World Book Day and, of course, all parents scrabbling around to create outfits from brooms and the like. I look forward to hearing the outcomes of her inquiry.”
“I am not sure it is possible to follow that, although I congratulate the hon. Member for Windsor (Jack Rankin) on his efforts and his speech entirely in rhyme. It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship today, Mrs Hobhouse. I thank all hon. Members for attending and contributing to this debate. I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Dulwich and West Norwood (Helen Hayes), on securing it and on the valuable work that she is doing as Chair of the Education Committee. I look forward to hearing the outcomes of her inquiry into reading for pleasure. I really love World Book Day, and I have had a wonderful World Book Day today; I went on a visit to talk about school food, and the entire school was dressed up, including the executive headteacher, who was dressed as a very impressive Gandalf, complete with a full beard.”
“In this National Year of Reading, we are laying strong foundations for learning, wellbeing and success throughout life. By working in partnership with schools, families, libraries and communities, we can create a lasting legacy where reading for pleasure is valued as an integral part of our childhoods.”
“Since their launch, they have provided targeted support to more than 3,000 schools across England. In closing, I recognise the important contributions of charities and organisations to promote the importance of reading for pleasure, including World Book Day, the National Literacy Trust, the Reading Agency, the Book Trust and many more. Last year, I had the absolute privilege of meeting Peter Rabbit and the Queen at the Book Trust’s centenary celebration. It was one of my favourite days in the job so far. Reading books like “Peter Rabbit” shaped my childhood and I want that same joy for every child. Ensuring that our young people in every corner of our country learn to enjoy reading is one of this Labour Government’s key priorities.”
“This financial year, therefore, we have committed £28 million to drive high and rising standards in reading and writing. That funding is delivering a range of support for schools, including new training for primary schools, to help children progress from the early stages of phonics to reading fluently by the time they leave primary school. For secondary schools, we have launched a new continuing professional development programme, Unlocking Reading, to improve support for struggling readers in key stage 3. Our aim is that by the end of this academic year, 75% of secondary schools will have access to that training. Also, our RISE, or regional improvement for standards and excellence, English hubs are dedicated to improving the teaching of reading.”
“Alongside school libraries, public libraries have a strong offer to support children’s development as readers beyond school—for example, through the summer reading challenge—and are part of the vital social and cultural infrastructure of the country. This week, to support the National Year of Reading, the Government announced a funding boost to support local library services in areas with the greatest need to go further in engaging communities to boost library use. Further to that support, the Government will build on excellence by awarding a £1,000 cash prize to each of the five English regional winners of the library of the year award to continue local reading projects. Reading is not just important for pleasure; it also holds the key to the rest of the curriculum.”
“World Book Day sits right at the heart of the National Year of Reading, offering children a selection of books to choose from for free with their £1 book token, and a range of activities and resources for schools to help generate a national buzz around reading. As has been noted, libraries are at the heart of the National Year of Reading campaign. I am delighted that this Government have committed more than £10 million to ensure that every primary school in England will have a library by the end of this Parliament and, for secondary schools, my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced £5 million to purchase books and reading materials.”
“The National Year of Reading campaign, “Go All In”, emphasises that reading is a great way to explore and deepen our interests and passions. Put simply, if you are into it, read into it. That might be a book about a fairytale world, a fascinating period of history or, for those of us who are passionate about parliamentary procedure—perhaps the hon. Member for Strangford were he still in his place—I suggest “Erskine May”. Regardless of what we choose to read, the year is packed full of exciting events, webinars, resources and activities happening in communities, libraries, schools and early years settings up and down the country. I encourage all Members to get involved.”
“On the wider question of the harms of the online world, I encourage all Members to contribute to our extensive consultation on social media and the online world, which is live now. As Members have said today, World Book Day is a fantastic worldwide celebration of books and reading, marked in more than 100 countries around the world. I thank everyone for their enormous contribution. We know that reading for pleasure is hugely important and brings a wide range of benefits from increased wellbeing, confidence and empathy to better vocabulary and aptitude for learning, yet just one in three children says that they enjoy reading, which is an all-time low. That is why this Government have launched the National Year of Reading, a UK-wide campaign to tackle the steep decline in reading enjoyment among children, young people and adults.”
“I am pleased that we are co-creating with parents the first ever guidance on screen time for the under-fives. We have published research that shows that too much screen time can cause challenges for language development. The research also says that the best thing people can do is pick up a book with their child. We are also publishing screen-time guidance for older children. We have also published tougher guidance on phones in schools to be clear that, from bell to bell, there should be absolutely no phones in schools. We are working with attendance and behaviour hubs to make sure that schools are supported to deliver that, and Ofsted will also be inspecting on it. We do not want children in schools being distracted by buzzing phones in their pockets, and we are clear about that.”
“Friend the Member for Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard (Alex Mayer) told an amazing story about the book that she wrote to persuade Amazon to put Dunstable on the books. I congratulate her on that —what fantastic efforts! The hon. Member for South Devon (Caroline Voaden) rightly highlighted the importance that this Government place on breaking down barriers to opportunity, and I agree with her that reading for pleasure is a central part of that—my speech will come on to that. She asked me about the role of family hubs and the importance of encouraging children to read at the earliest ages. I reassure her on that point: it is central to what we are trying to do with our best start in life strategy. The hon. Lady—and the hon. Member for Windsor—also talked about screen time, which is very important to this Government.”
“Six! I misheard the hon. Member; I do apologise. And I am sure that they really enjoy listening to him read to them. My hon. Friend the Member for Isle of Wight West (Richard Quigley) made a wonderful speech celebrating the literary past and present of the Isle of Wight, and was powerful in his clear determination to secure strong outcomes for his constituents. My hon. Friend the Member for Bracknell (Peter Swallow) painted a wonderful picture of his Cyclops outfit—I will be trying to google it—and made a powerful case for inclusive reading. For my hon. Friend the Member for Glasgow West (Patricia Ferguson), I would like to congratulate Martha on winning her competition, and all the entrants in my hon. Friend’s constituency. My hon.”
“Mobile phones have no place in our schools. We have published strengthened guidance that is clear that all schools should be mobile phone-free environments by default for the entire school day. Ofsted will be checking this at every inspection.”
“I thank my hon. Friend for his excellent support for the schools in his constituency. Lockable pouches are being used successfully by many schools and are listed in the Department’s examples of best practice approaches. Heads can rightly choose how they implement the mobile phone ban in their school to reflect what works best in context.”
“I congratulate the pupils and staff at Chichester high school on their great work in this space. It is fantastic to hear that the policy they are implementing is making a difference for the children. Phones should not be in schools, and we are going to be working with schools through our attendance and behaviour hubs, along with our toughened guidance, to make sure we support them to implement this policy properly.”
“I thank my hon. Friend for her important campaigning work in this area and for her important question. I am happy to give her that assurance, and I would be delighted to meet her to discuss this matter in more detail.”
“In the consultation we have announced today, we are consulting on whether a statutory ban is needed, but the action that we have taken addresses the root cause of the problem: the clarity of mobile phone policies and how well they are enforced. The vast majority of schools have a ban in place, but they are just not sufficiently effective. That is what we are working to address.”
“I welcome the hon. Gentleman to his place, but I am afraid he did not listen to the answer I just gave on this exact topic, which is that, in the consultation we announced today, we are consulting on whether a statutory ban is needed. Secondly, it is my firm belief that we have addressed the root cause of the problem, which is that the policies are not sufficiently clear and that they are not being well enough enforced. That is what we are doing by asking Ofsted to inspect these policies, and we are supporting schools through our attendance and behaviour hubs.”
“Our best start in life strategy is expanding access to childcare, saving working families £7,500 a year and getting record proportions of children ready for school. We work closely with local authorities to ensure the quality and sufficiency of childcare, including across Greater London.”
“Absolutely. I congratulate the hon. Gentleman and all the parents and volunteers, Ofsted, and the early years professionals who have opened at impressive speed what sounds like a fantastic new provision for their community. I am pleased that the Government’s investment in childcare, which will total £9.5 billion this year, is helping ensure that more children have a fantastic early education and are supported to get ready for school.”
“Every primary school in England will have a free breakfast club by the end of this Parliament, giving children a healthy breakfast and a great soft start to the day and improving attainment and attendance. Another 2,000 schools will open free breakfast clubs this year, including Pondhu primary school in my hon. Friend’s constituency.”
“It was a pleasure to spend time with my hon. Friend in his constituency recently, where he and I both enjoyed a range of activities with the brilliant Pinky, including our enthusiastic attempts at axe chopping. I know that my hon. Friend has worked really hard to support and encourage schools in his constituency to participate in our school-based nurseries and breakfast clubs programmes, and I thank him for that. In the south-west, we have opened 30 school-based nurseries and nearly 100 breakfast clubs, supporting thousands of children in St Austell and beyond to get the very best start in life.”
“All our programmes are evidence based. When it comes to breakfast clubs, we know the data shows us that they will drive up attainment and improve attendance for our schoolchildren.”
“I welcome and celebrate the launch of the Southampton literary festival by Bitterne Park school, and I thank my hon. Friend for all his advocacy in his constituency. The National Year of Reading is packed full of exciting events for all to participate in, and I encourage Members to do so.”
“I am sorry to hear about the closure of the school in the right hon. Lady’s constituency, but closures of private schools have been in line with historical trends. All pupils are entitled to a state school place, and the right hon. Lady should contact the local authority to discuss this further.”
“Some faith schools are likely to be less impacted by changes to private schools tax, where some of their income is derived from other sources, such as voluntary donations or support from religious organisations. That is because VAT is out of scope for donations that are freely given and where there is no reciprocal obligation. That means that some private faith schools may be affected proportionately less than others. All private schools, including private faith schools, can decide for themselves how to manage the additional cost of VAT. There are a variety of ways in which a school may choose to do that. For example, they may reduce their surpluses or reserves, make savings on non-essential expenditure or, like any VAT-registered organisation, reclaim input VAT on their costs.”
“We are also supporting faith groups in their engagement with local authorities to explore options for those private faith schools that are interested in joining the state-funded sector. Where there is a sustainable need, local authorities can bring schools serving particular faith communities into the state sector as voluntary-aided schools, and the school must meet all required standards within the state-funded sector. Since the introduction of the VAT policy, we are aware of one private faith school that has joined the state sector as a voluntary-aided maintained faith school, opening in September 2025. Furthermore, not all income received by smaller faith schools will be subject to VAT.”
“The Government carefully considered a range of representations made by faith schools, including a proposal for a low-fee carve out. However, the Government concluded that in line with the principles of protecting revenue and fairness, faith schools should remain in scope of the VAT policy. We understand that some parents make the decision to send their child to a private school because of its particular faith ethos, and because they feel that a particular type of school is better able to meet their child’s needs than their place in the state sector. It is the case, however, that all children of compulsory school age are entitled to a state-funded school place should they require one, and of all the faith schools in England, around one third are state funded.”
“The Government respect parental choice, and faith schools in the private and state sectors will remain part of that choice. The truth is, however, that we inherited a dire fiscal situation from the previous Government, and families, including those in faith communities, were dealing with sky-high interest rates, underfunded public services and a broken NHS. That is why we have taken some fair and necessary decisions on tax, which will stabilise public finances and secure the additional funding required to deliver on our commitments to education and young people. The measure that we are discussing will raise essential revenue that will be invested in our public services, such as the £1.7 billion increase to the core schools budget in 2026-27, taking core school funding to £67 billion compared with £65.3 billion in 2025-26.”
“It sits at the very heart of this Government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity, ensuring every child, wherever they live and whatever their background, has the best possible start in life and access to a high-quality education. Our priority is clear: to raise school standards for every child. I believe that this is a priority shared by colleagues across the House, as is clear from the speeches in this debate. The Government value the contribution that faith schools make to our diverse education system. Faith schools, whether private or state funded, have long played, and continue to play, a really vital role. We continue to work closely with faith school providers, representative organisations and local authorities to find ways to support private faith schools.”
“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Sir Alec. I thank all hon. Members for attending, and particularly the hon. Member for Strangford (Jim Shannon) for securing this debate and for his characteristically engaging speech. I am grateful for the suggestions that he made, which have all been noted. I also congratulate his staff member, who is in the Public Gallery, on her super-human efforts with the volume of wonderful speeches she produces. It was great that the hon. Member was able to congratulate her as well. While I perhaps did not agree with the content of the speech given by the hon. Member for Beaconsfield (Joy Morrissey), I admire the speed with which she assembled it here today. Education matters.”
“On average, 74 private schools, including independent special schools, have closed per year over the past 20 years. However, only 60 private schools closed in academic year 2024-25, which is the school year that the VAT changes were introduced. That means that school closures announced thus far remain firmly within historical patterns and sit comfortably within our expectations. Indeed, even after the VAT policy came into effect, private schools continued to open in England. In the same time period—between 1 September 2024 and 31 August 2025—106 private schools registered and opened. We are confident that the state sector can accommodate any additional pupils, including any pupils transferring from private state schools.”
“The hon. Gentleman made his case well in his speech earlier, and he makes it again now. The Government have carefully considered the options that he has put forward today. I have heard all of his points and they have been noted by my officials. Private schools have steadily increased average fees by 75% in real terms since 2000, and that has not affected pupil numbers. Fee increases can also reflect wider cost pressures beyond VAT and business rates. The Government are closely monitoring the impact of VAT policy on the private school sector. We remain confident in the estimates made when this policy was introduced, which said that the number of private school closures was expected to remain relatively low and influenced by various factors, not just by the VAT policy.”
“I will. I am just coming on to that, if you will bear with me. I am grateful for that. [ Interruption. ] Did I do something wrong, Sir Alec? I apologise.”
“As they eloquently outlined in their speeches, independent schools, including faith schools, make a valuable contribution to our diverse education system. The Government have made necessary and fair choices to safeguard the public finances, invest in our public services and increase funding for our schools. We will keep working with faith groups, school leaders and local authorities to ensure that every child in this country has access to a high-quality education.”
“It is a very timely reminder. I am grateful to you, Sir Alec. I thank the hon. Member for Bridgwater (Sir Ashley Fox) for his intervention. He raises an important point. I have just skipped through my notes, and I realise that I will not be coming on to that point; I have, in fact, already covered it. I will just repeat that we are managing to increase the schools budget significantly as a consequence of this policy, which has also raised significantly more than our initial estimates. We are also recruiting teachers, on which more detail was published in our schools White Paper earlier this week. In closing, I once again thank the hon. Member for Strangford for securing this debate, and I thank Members from across the House for their contributions this afternoon.”
“I thank the hon. Gentleman for his interesting speech. His party has recently announced that it would like to scrap the Department for women and equalities, so how does his statement sit with that commitment? He also wants to scrap the Equality Act 2010. Does he recognise that the Act actually protects men and boys from discrimination on the basis of their sex?”
“Members will forgive me for not commenting on that in detail, but I assure them that not having the word “men” in our titles does not prevent me or any of my colleagues from working hard to support men and boys across our country. Indeed, two weeks ago, I had the pleasure of attending a thought-provoking debate on educational outcomes for boys, where I was able to share some of what the Government are doing about the challenges facing boys in schools.”
“It is always an honour to serve under your chairship, Mr Twigg. I express my gratitude to the hon. Member for Hinckley and Bosworth (Dr Evans) for opening the debate and for his commitment to tackling the issues facing many men and boys. I thank him and other hon. Members, whose thoughtful and varied contributions have led to a worthwhile debate and showed the range of challenges men encounter in today’s world, including problems with their health, their work, their family life or harmful influences online. Specific ministerial positions and titles are, of course, a matter for the Prime Minister, so I am sure hon.”
“I thank the hon. Member for his contribution. I think it is important that we support children to have a happy, healthy and enjoyable childhood. As a mum of two boys, I am well aware of the challenges facing our boys in schools, and as an Equalities Minister, I am pleased to be able to work with colleagues across Government to take action on those issues. The Equality Act 2010 requires the interests of both and women to be considered when all Ministers make decisions and when officials implement policies. We are committed to supporting men and boys in all areas where they face disadvantage, recognising that too many are really struggling with the challenges in our society today.”
“The campaign is aimed at everyone, because the decline in reading enjoyment is an issue across all sectors of society. However, there is a focus on boys aged 10 to 16, parents from disadvantaged communities, and other priority groups. A number of Members spoke about the importance of boys having positive male role models. I agree entirely about the importance of that, but we do need to be careful not to stray into criticising what types of families can bring up brilliant boys. The hon. Member for Strangford rightly said that women can be brilliant role models too. I want to be really clear from the Dispatch Box that single mums can bring up brilliant boys, just as my wife and I can bring up brilliant boys.”
“Friends the Members for Bishop Auckland (Sam Rushworth) and for Ipswich and the hon. Member for Mid Leicestershire (Mr Bedford) raised the challenges they face growing up in today’s society. In particular, comments were made about the importance of school readiness; as I am also the Minister for Early Education, I am determined that we address that issue, as we drive towards record numbers of our children being ready for school. All children and young people should have every opportunity to succeed across every phase of education. Disadvantaged boys and young men face some of the steepest barriers to success. Over £28 million has been committed to drive standards in reading and writing, particularly for those who need the most support, including boys who underperform in English. That is alongside the National Year of Reading in 2026.”
“Our men’s health strategy includes investment in community-based health and suicide prevention programmes and a new partnership with the Premier League to ensure men know where to go for mental health support. We have also announced the suicide prevention pathfinders programme for middle-aged men. This programme, co-designed with experts and men with lived experience, will tackle the barriers men face in seeking support. More widely, the Government have already taken significant steps to improve NHS mental health services, including hiring almost 7,000 extra mental health workers since July 2024. And thanks to an increase in NHS talking therapies, more adults with anxiety and depression are getting back into work. I also want to highlight the work the Government are doing to support boys and young men, in particular. My hon.”
“We are now focused on implementing the commitments set out in the strategy, including how partnerships and stakeholders can support and champion the strategy and its implementation. On mental health specifically, Members have made thoughtful contributions today, and I thank them for sharing powerful stories. I particularly liked the anecdote told by the hon. Member for Strangford (Jim Shannon) about his mother and “hanging a fiddle on the door”. I thought that was a powerful example of what we are talking about. Around three in four of the people who died by suicide in 2024 were men, with 25% of incidents being among middle-aged men alone. We are determined to tackle this inequality.”
“That is something the Government are acutely aware of, and last year we published England’s first ever men’s health strategy, reflecting many of the concerns rightly raised by speakers today. Drawn up in partnership with men themselves, experts, men’s groups, charities and campaigners, the strategy directly addresses some of the health challenges and disadvantages that men face. It sets out how we are improving men’s access to health services and enabling men to make healthier choices. It also outlines how to tackle the biggest health problems affecting men of all ages, including mental health and suicide, respiratory illness, prostate cancer and heart disease.”
“The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has been set up to support Ministers in this work, which includes a specific focus on convening and co-ordinating work across Departments so that we can ensure a joined-up approach that delivers meaningful and measurable change. The Prime Minister has also committed to holding a national summit on men and boys later this year to bring together key sector partners, and we will share more details on that in due course. The hon. Members for Hinckley and Bosworth and for Wells and Mendip Hills (Tessa Munt) and my hon. Friend the Member for Ipswich (Jack Abbott) spoke about the distinct issues that men face in our healthcare system.”