Rae Tooth appears before House of Commons Education Committee

Yesterday saw Rae Tooth give evidence to the House of Commons Education Committee. The hearing, which was part of the committee’s inquiry into ‘left-behind white pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds', focused on the impact of the COVID pandemic and school closures, as well as access to further and higher education. Other participants included representatives from the Office for Students, NEON, Staffordshire University and Harlow College.

Rae's comments in the session attracted interest from the media, featuring extensively in BBC Radio 4’s Today in Parliament show and also being quoted in coverage by TES. She spoke about a range of issues, including the impact of school closures on students, access to apprenticeships and the importance of trauma-informed education. 

As members of one of the House of Commons Select Committees, MPs sitting on the Education Committee scrutinise the work of the Department for Education, covering children’s social care, schools, colleges, early years and higher education. This was the first time that a representative from Villiers Park has been invited to give evidence to a Select Committee.