[Part II]
Higher Education Bill
Mr Graham Allen (Nottingham North, Labour)
I have tabled a number of amendments to the clause. Even if I move amendment No. 276 and new clause 9 briefly, I hope that the Minister will none the less take them seriously as they reflect a great deal of concern expressed by colleagues outside the Committee.
I mentioned the latest Ofsted report on one of my primary schools, Highwood Player nursery and junior school. I think I said that it had been awarded ones and twos, which are the highest points that Ofsted can give, on everything apart from attainment, which received a five, one of the lowest scores. In other words, it is a great school with a superb head teacher, committed staff, great involvement of governors and a super environment, but it underachieves. It does so because a lot of the kids are in child protection measures. In many cases, they arrive at school unable to string a sentence together and there is no parental support.
Admissions policy can urgently address that problem by getting youngsters into school in the September of the year when they attain the age of five so that they do a full year in reception. My local education authority does not do that; it cannot because of cost. It is a very effective, hard-working and dedicated authority with good people throughout, but a lack of money stops it doing the very thing that would be benefit those kids most throughout their lives.
When we talk about the situation of graduates or students, we should put that into perspective by reflecting on the amount of money that we put into the education of those people relative to the under-fives—reception classes, Sure Start and so forth. We can all regale each other with figures, but in essence a middle-class welfare system operates. More and more money gets poured down the throats of people who are able to go to university, whereas people from tough working-class areas cannot get their kids into a reception class.
A reception class is one fifth of that child's life because they are only five. To be in a reception class for that one year allows them to receive an education for one fifth of their life prior to school. We should consider the impact that addressing that might have on some of the problems that we have all talked about. We need to gain that perspective because the amount of money spent is important. One of the best ways that we as taxpayers can get an idea about that is to have transparency and clarity on education spending.
My right hon. Friend the Minister often says that even with the new fee regime, £13 out of £14 will be provided by the taxpayer rather than by the graduate through repayments. I do not know whether that figure still stands or whether it has moved or been finessed a little. However, bearing in mind the order of the expenditure involved, a massive amount of money goes to those individuals, even under the new fee payment regime.
I have tabled a probing amendment to bring some clarity to the matter. I do not contend that it deals with things in absolutely the right way, but its purpose is to get my right hon. Friend to examine a system similar to that which operates in Australia, where the Government, as the agent for the taxpayer, issue a cheque to the student that is only cashable at the university that they are going to attend. There is a symbolism in doing that; it shows the student that many thousands of pounds are rightly being paid towards their course and that they have to make an additional contribution.
I hesitate to say that the matter should be kicked into a commission or any other body, and I do not expect to get an answer on from my right hon. Friend on the hoof, but transparency should be introduced to show the generosity with which the taxpayer treats undergraduates relative to those in further education, secondary schools and primary schools, and children under five. That would be a great benefit to both the taxpayer and the student, who is the main beneficiary.