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Education and Skills Bill

moved Amendment No. 64A: 64A: After Clause 56, insert the following new Clause— ““Assessment for specific learning difficulties (1) Each pupil in a maintained and voluntary aided school must— (a) before his sixth birthday; (b) in the second year after completion of Key Stage one; and (c) in the first year after Key Stage two, receive an assessment for risk of specific learning difficulties. (2) Each person sentenced to imprisonment in one of Her Majesty’s prisons or a young offender institution or a secure training centre must within one calendar month of the commencement of his sentence receive an assessment for risk of specific learning difficulties. (3) The assessment shall be carried out by a prescribed person with prescribed qualifications. (4) The specific learning difficulties referred to in subsection (1) are— (a) dyslexia; (b) dyscalcula; (c) dyspraxia; (d) dysgraphia; (e) Asperger’s syndrome; (f) attention deficit disorder; (g) attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder; (h) Meares-Irelen syndrome; (i) a high level of co-morbidity of any two or more of the above conditions. (5) In this section ““prescribed”” means prescribed by order of the Secretary of State. (6) The Secretary of State may, by order, specify conditions to be added to those referred to in subsection (4).”” The noble Lord said: My Lords, as a result of exchanges within the wings of this parliamentary theatre, I understand that the Government are under great pressure of time and would be greatly helped if we curtailed this debate. I am happy to take the minimum of your Lordships’ time on the understanding that the Minister will come forward with assurances and that if they are not satisfactory she can be assured of a somewhat lengthy and perhaps acrimonious exchange at Third Reading. I draw the Minister’s attention to the fact that there are two legs to the amendment, one relating to maintained schools and the other to places of detention, and I will need assurances on both legs. Other noble Lords have remained in the Chamber specifically to speak on this amendment. If they were to restrain themselves to contributions no longer than mine and to an expectation as eager as mine for Third Reading I should be most grateful. I beg to move.