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Education and Inspections Bill

I think that the hon. Lady should do her homework, as reciting grammar schools in support of her case is probably not the most intelligent thing for a Labour Member to do. I will certainly encourage and support schools in my constituency in setting up trust schools and improving choice and diversity among schools open to all pupils. Clause 56 will stop poor performing and backward-looking LEAs such as Reading from using surplus places as an excuse to prevent good schools from expanding or new schools coming into an area. Finally, I turn to my amendment No. 111. New clause 33 sets out the conditions that an LEA must meet if the Secretary of State is not to veto its proposals for a new community school. Councils have the right to enter competitions to open a new community school, but they have to earn that right. Even those modest proposals are being opposed by the Local Government Association, along with Labour rebels and unions. I would rather that the Government had stuck to their original White Paper commitment that LEAs will be"““commissioners rather than providers of education.””" That splitting of responsibility, which gives LEAs a role to champion parents and promote choice, was right when the White Paper was launched, and it is right now. I know that Labour attack dogs have needed to be thrown a bone, but weakening the commissioner-provider split in responsibility was not the right one to throw. The Secretary of State should accept new clause 57, which would restore the Bill to the position of the White Paper, but he has already said that he will reject it. The only saving grace is that the Secretary of State will have a veto, which at least tries to retain the integrity of Lord Adonis’ original thinking—after all, that is the essence of the Bill. I certainly cannot foresee any circumstances in which a new community school will be agreed by a Conservative Secretary of State—nor, I hope, a Labour one. If the Government were to accept my amendment, which would reinforce their new clause 33, that would go some way towards ensuring that there is little likelihood of a new community school being set up. That would allow LEAs to focus on their tasks of promoting choice and diversity, mapping out what is needed in their area, ensuring that sufficient places are available, focusing efforts on school improvement partners, and running the competitions for new and replacement schools. Schools could then manage and run themselves while LEAs got on with less influential administration matters, which would mean that they were unable to damage our children’s educational prospects as they have previously. I believe that that is what the Government ultimately want to achieve, but cannot say so as it will upset too many of their core supporters, not least a sizeable number of Labour MPs. However, the Government do want an end to a bog standard comprehensive education system, just as much as Conservative Members do. That is what they want, and that is what they will ultimately get.