Clause 2 - Duties in relation to diversity and choice
Education and Inspections Bill
12:00 pm
Sarah Teather (Shadow Secretary of State for Education and Skills, Education & Skills; Brent East, Liberal Democrat)
As I said, the amendments probe what the Government mean by choice. Choice for whom, about what, at what time and in what circumstances? What are the limits to choice? Should there be any limits to choice, and if so, what are they? Unlimited choice requires unlimited capacity and we do not have unlimited capacity in the system. It is important to put that on the record because local authorities will be charged with doing what is required when they exercise their powers and they need to know what the limits are when they compare one aspect with another.
The Bill has come at the end of 10 years of rising school rolls but there is about to be a period of 10 years of falling school rolls. We expect schools to lose about 500,000 teenagers in the next 10 years. What should local authorities do in those circumstances? Should they leave lots of school places empty to allow more choice or diversity in the system, or should they try to work within the boundaries of efficiency and value for money?
Let us suppose that a few Catholic families in a majority Muslim area want a Catholic school. What are the limits on the choice that the local authority must consider? Should it provide for the majority or the minority? It is important for the Government to be explicit about what they mean. In a rural area there may be only one local school to which a child can go. What does choice mean in those circumstances?
What does diversity mean? Does it mean diversity across the whole of a local authority area or choice specifically for parents? For example, in a rural area there may be diversity of provision across a borough but a very limited choice for parents who live within the catchment area of a local school, which may be a faith school or a specialist school, if they do not want to send their child to that school and it is impractical for them to travel further. What do the Government mean when they talk about exercising choice and diversity?
What is meant by choice for parents? It conflicts with aspects that we will debate later when we discuss admissions. When more choice is provided in the system and schools control their own admissions process, we will end up with schools choosing children rather than the other way round. Choice probably means preference. Perhaps the Minister will be more explicit about that; it would be more honest if we used that word.
We may talk about choice, but the Bill refers only to choice at 11. Choice should be extended through the system and it is why we have referred to choice and diversity within schools. Choice should apply to young people as they are trying to decide what kind of curriculum they want to follow.