Clause 20
Education and Inspections Bill
10:15 am
Sarah Teather (Shadow Secretary of State for Education and Skills, Education & Skills; Brent East, Liberal Democrat)
The amendments relate to the process of becoming a trust school. During earlier sittings, the hon. Member for Bury, North questioned whetherthe outgoing governing body would always be best placed to make a decision if its school had failed in its duty. Although I have sympathy with his views, Ishall not attempt to deal with them in discussingthe amendments; I shall take it as read that the Government intend that such bodies should make the decision, and merely try to strengthen the majority required.
A two-thirds majority is known as a super-majority. For many businesses, a super-majority is common practice when the board of directors is asked to consider any major constitutional change. In fact, when a board of directors is asked to deal with any special resolutions, such as changing the company’s name, a 75 per cent. majority is normally required; a two-thirds majority is probably rather lenient for the case that I am discussing.
The change proposed is serious; it is not as if people would be voting for a new coffee machine in the staff lounge. A simple majority would not do for business and it should not do for schools. All the community will need to have confidence in any decisions and merely arguing for a majority of those present on the governing body, rather than a two-thirds majority of the whole governing body, does not seem adequate. Such a majority would not be used in the charity or business sectors.
Amendment No. 155 is intended to ensure that schools consult their feeder schools prior to taking any vote, not afterwards. I am sure that Committee members will agree that feeder schools have a vested interest in any decision taken by the schools that they feed. They have a right to be consulted and for their views to be taken into account by the governing body when it makes a decision.
Mr. Hayesrose—