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Education Bill
9:00 pm
Mr Graham Brady (Altrincham and Sale West, Conservative)
The Minister is almost repealing the relevant section of the Education Act 1996. The Bill provides the power to repeal its clauses. Should I occupy his seat in the future, I would have no intention of charging for places in maintained schools. Given the outbreak of consensus and unanimity on that matter, which might extend to the Liberal Democrat spokesman at the end of this Bench, would now be a good moment to restate the commitment of all political parties to the principle of free education?
Before moving to the other amendments to which I shall allude briefly, I want to ask the Minister to reflect on whether it may be possible for the Government to table their own amendment at a later stage and put into the Bill a restriction that members of the Committee have agreed would be welcome. It would prevent any future Secretary of State, without recourse to primary legislation, from moving in a direction that we would all want to avoid.
I come now to amendments Nos. 20 and 30. My hon. Friend the Member for Isle of Wight speculated about the policy-making process in the then Department of Education and Science. The Bill may have dropped off a cliff with many open-ended powers and little detail on how they will be used because of its origins in the Downing street policy unit before the architects moved on to other things in June. We may never know, but perhaps we will be enlightened as to how the policy-making process works in the Department for Education and Skills.
We had a useful debate on the question of a balanced and broad curriculum. I was not seeking to ascribe views to the hon. Member for Harrogate and Knaresborough, but I am grateful to him for clarifying one point. In considering the relaxation of the curriculum for 14 to 19-year-olds, we do not intend to depart from a broadly-based curriculum. We want genuine flexibility that could lead to a more appropriate form of education to interest 14 to 19-year olds who are not adequately engaged in the education process.
It may be appropriate to cite an example from my constituency. An excellent sports college, the Ashton-on-Mersey school, has a close relationship with Manchester United football club. I note that the hon. Member for Harrogate and Knaresborough is forming a crucifix with his fingers, and I am sure that he would want that on the record for the benefit of constituents who do not share his views. However, the benefit to the
school's prestige, the development of the sporting faculty and other curriculum areas is considerable. It also works effectively for the club to continue the broader education of some of its apprentices at the school. That is an interesting model of how the process can progress. I was encouraged by the hon. Gentleman's position on that and I endorse it.
The Minister pointed out the later clauses that protect a broad and balanced curriculum. Although I have reservations that protection does not remain for schools under part 1, I was satisfied by the Minister's helpful explanation of how it would remain for earned autonomy schools under clause 5. I beg to ask leave to withdraw the amendment.
Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.
Clause 5 ordered to stand part of the Bill.