Clause 2 - Duties in relation to diversity and choice
Education and Inspections Bill
9:00 am
Jacqui Smith (Minister of State (Schools and 14-19 Learners), Department for Education and Skills; Redditch, Labour)
We have been clear since the Education Act 2002 that there should be a presumption that good schools should be able to propose expansion provisions. There should be a presumption that the decision makers—the school organisation committees, at the moment, or the adjudicator—should allow those expansions to go ahead. Under the Bill, we are moving that decision-making process to the local authority. Of course, it makes sense when making that decision that the benefits of that particular expansion be borne in mind, just as happens at present, but the expansion should also be considered in the context of overall standards in an area. The Government and I are much more favourably disposed to expansion than the hon. Members for Brent, East (Sarah Teather) and for Leeds, North-West (Greg Mulholland) suggested when we debated the subject on Tuesday.