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Education and Inspections Bill

Yes, I must not exaggerate my argument. Nearly 20 per cent. of schools became grant-maintained after the arguments had been set out. No doubt if we had ballots, some would be won by the governors and those who support the new model. However, the trouble with introducing the equivalent of grant-maintained schools is that people will say that they will be given special treatment and funding, as well as other benefits and advantages that are not available to other schools. If all schools were first foundation schools and then grant-maintained, it would be difficult to argue against them on the basis that they were taking more resources than they were entitled to. The one accurate argument that the Labour Opposition had against grant-maintained schools, and it was true—although denied at the time—was that they were given better funding arrangements in certain circumstances. That was unfair, but the simple way to overcome that argument would be to make all schools grant-maintained. Deep down, that is where the Government are coming from and I suspect that the Prime Minister has been frustrated by the lack of progress in state education. Despite our differences, all hon. Members should be very frustrated about what is going on. We know about the independent report from the National Audit Office that says that 23 per cent. of schools are underperforming. That affects 1 million kids. We all know that something radical needs to be done, so why deny the elementary truth that the Prime Minister has cottoned on to—that there must be radical change in our education structure? That is what lay behind the White Paper and the excellent notion that local authorities should be commissioners and not providers. It is a pity that we have not managed to sail along more with the Prime Minister in the direction that he wanted.