Education & Inspections Bill

RECENT VOTES

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 education

MAIN 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 reading

Second 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.