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Education & Inspections Bill | AIM The bill requires local authorities to promote choice, diversity and high standards, to respond to parents unsatisfied with their local schools and to identify children missing from educationMAIN PROVISIONS | TIMETABLE Responsible department: Education & Skills Origin: House of Commons Introduced: 28 Feb 2006 Second reading: 15 March 2006 Committee stage: 20 & 23 March, 25 & 27 April 2006, 2,9 & 11 May 2006 Report stage: 23 & 24 May 2006
LORDS
First reading: 25 May 2006 Second reading: 21 June 2006 Committee stage: 5, 12, 18, 20 & 25 July 2006 Report stage: 17, 19, 20 & 24 October 2006 Third reading: 31 October 2006
ROYAL ASSENT: 8 November 2006 |
Enables every school to become a foundation school, acquire a foundation and allow that foundation to appoint a majority of governors Such schools must establish a parents' council to reflect their views Reaffirms the existing ban on selection by ability and proposes a ban on interviewing Empowers local authorities to intervene quickly and effectively with regard to failing schools Local authorities will be obliged to offer free school transport to help the poorest families Enables nutritional standards to be applied to all food and drink supplied on school premises Empowers all staff to discipline pupils for bad behaviour, even when they are not in school Parents are to be held responsible for excluded pupils Extends the scope of parenting orders and contracts
KEY VOTES 15 March 2006
Commons Second readingSecond reading vote
Ayes: 458, Noes: 115 Timetable vote
Ayes: 300, Noes: 290 24 May 2006
Report stage votes in the following order:- Govt amendment on new community schools
Ballot of parents on change to foundation schools
Conservative amendment to increase difficulty of setting up community schools
Tory amendment banning new community schools Rebel amendment limiting secretary of state's veto Rebel amendment on vetting potential sponsors of foundation schools BACKGROUND Tony Blair's proposals to hand greater autonomy over to state schools have divided the Labour party. At second reading, 52 labour MPs rebelled and a further 25 abstained leaving ministers to rely on support from opposition benches. In order to appease Labour rebels who fear the creation of a two-tier system, the government has amended plans for all schools to be self-governing; local authorities could now open new 'community schools'. OPPOSITION The main opposition to the bill has been organised by a group which has produced an 'Alternative White Paper'. Key members include John Denham, Nick Raynsford and Baroness Estelle Morris and they stress they are for the main thrust of the bill and are not left-wing trouble-makers. Despite concern that the prime minister's reforms have now been watered down too much, the Conservatives are still under a three-line whip to support the bill. But they have tabled amendments to attempt to return the bill to its original, pre-concession form.
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