I do not know, but I shall find out from the Department for Education and write. But those who are on them benefit from a curriculum that includes topics such as programming and algorithms, the responsible and safe use of technology, and other foundational knowledge that may support future study in fields such as artificial intelligence and data science.
This is not the only subject in which media literacy and critical thinking are taught. In citizenship education, pupils are taught about critical thinking and the proper functioning of a democracy. They learn to distinguish fact from opinion, as well as exploring freedom of speech and the role and responsibility of the media in informing and shaping public opinion. As Minister for Arts and Heritage, I will say a bit about subjects such as history, English and other arts subjects, in which pupils learn to ask questions about information, think critically and weigh up arguments, all of which are important skills for media literacy, as well as more broadly.
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In the debate on the report of the committee led by Lord Puttnam I mentioned the work of Art UK and its programme, the Superpower of Looking. There are many other excellent examples, such as the National Gallery’s Take One Picture scheme, which works with schools to encourage pupils to look at just one work of art from that fabulous collection in order to encourage critical thinking and to look beyond what is immediately apparent. My department is working with the Department for Education on a cultural education plan to ensure that these sorts of initiatives are shared across all schools in the state sector . Additionally, the Department for Education published its updated Teaching Online Safety in Schools non-statutory guidance in January 2023, which provides schools with advice on how to teach children to stay safe online.
There are many ways outside the curriculum in which schoolchildren and young people benefit. I had the pleasure of being a judge for Debating Matters, as did the noble Baroness, Lady Bennett—though not in my case behind bars. A scheme such as this, along with debating clubs in schools, all add to the importance of critical thinking and debate.
Amendment 189 in the name of the noble Lord, Lord Knight, seeks to place a requirement on all public bodies to assist Ofcom in relation to its duties under the regime set out by the Bill. The regulator will need to co-operate with a variety of organisations. Ofcom has existing powers to enable this and, where appropriate and proportionate, we have used the Bill to strengthen them. The Bill’s information-gathering powers will allow Ofcom to request information from any person, including public bodies, who appears to have information required by it in order to exercise its online safety function. Placing this broad duty on all public bodies would not be proportionate or effective. It would create an undefined requirement on public bodies and give Ofcom a disproportionate amount of power.
The noble Lord’s amendment uses Ofsted as an example of a public body that would be required to co-operate with Ofcom under the proposed duty. Ofsted already has the power to advise and assist other public authorities, including Ofcom, under Section 149 of the Education and Inspections Act 2006.
I hope noble Lords have been reassured by the points I have set out and will understand why the Government are not able to accept these amendments. I will reflect on the wider remarks made in this debate. With that, I invite the noble Lord to withdraw his amendment.