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Education and Inspections Bill

I thank the noble Lord. I presume, then, that this would be dealt with through the normal procedures of the courts. Turning to Amendment No. 222B, while I understand the Minister’s point about what the head teacher would do in relation to parent volunteers and certainly I agree that every paid member of staff should have the power to impose discipline, I still think that the Government have this the wrong way around. The direction should come from the head teacher, who is in a position to decide whether someone should or should not have a particular power of discipline. However, I shall read carefully in Hansard what the Minister has said. On Amendments Nos. 222C and 222D concerning well-being, the Minister suggested that this is already covered by schools’ duty of care and that a balance must be struck between the well-being of the child and protecting the rest of the school from the indiscipline of a particular pupil whose behaviour may affect the educational opportunities of other children. While I have a great deal of sympathy with that, it is important to make it quite clear that no penalty should be imposed on any child that would actually damage his or her well-being. I suggest that anything which would be effective and teach the child the error of his or her ways would be for their benefit, and therefore no reasonable penalty would be outside the interests of the child’s well-being. Given that, I do not wholly understand the Minister’s difficulty about being specific here and stating that punishments should contribute to the well-being of the child. Again, however, I will look carefully at what he has said. Having looked at the letter he referred to, it still strikes me as tautological, so I think that we shall have to agree to disagree about it. I beg leave to withdraw the amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. [Amendments Nos 222 and 222ZA not moved.] Clause 82 agreed to. Clause 83 agreed to.