Clause 4 - Duty to identify children not receiving education
Education and Inspections Bill
2:45 pm
Anne Snelgrove (PPS (Lord Warner, Minister of State), Department of Health; South Swindon, Labour)
I am sure that the Minister will deal with that point. As it was in the illustrative guidance I had assumed that that was so. We need to be very careful about those young people and ensure that their needs are treated sensitively.
The issues raised in amendments Nos. 89 and 90 are, in my reading, also covered by the illustrative guidance. Is it really necessary for them to be in the Bill? I will listen to the Minister with interest when he comes to the matter. It is extremely important that we deal in the Bill with this group of young people, who are vulnerable whether they are truanting or missing school for another reason. We must deal with them sensitively in the Bill and also in the guidance that goes out to schools. I am not entirely convinced that the amendments would help us to be sensitive to those children.