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Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Bill

Noble Lords will be pleased to hear that I can be very brief on this amendment. We tabled it to obtain within 12 months of the commencement of this part a review of the result of the abolition of the national strategies, which was announced in the Government’s White Paper of June this year. This amendment is tabled on the basis that, if the Government will not heed our advice to get rid of the QCDA, it might as well do something useful. As noble Lords will be aware, we supported Ed Balls in his decision to get rid of national strategies in favour of a system that would give more power to teachers, save money and allow attention to be paid to more effective means of raising standards. If, as I hope, the Government might be persuaded on our point in this amendment, I feel that I need say nothing more, other than that we look forward to hearing the Government’s suggestions on how and when such a review might take place. I beg to move.