Clause 39
Education and Inspections Bill
6:30 pm
Jacqui Smith (Minister of State (Schools and 14-19 Learners), Department for Education and Skills; Redditch, Labour)
As my hon. Friend said, this clause complements existing provision in the School Standards and Framework Act 1998, which gives parents and carers the right to express a preference for the school that they want their children to attend. It places a duty on local authorities to provide advice and assistance to parents in their area so that they can make the most of the choices available. We said in the schools White Paper that we wanted local authorities to look again at how to improve the independent information that they provide to ensure that they enable parents to make well-informed choices. A combination of that duty and targeted funding to provide choice advisers will enable them to do that, ensuring that those parents who are least able to navigate the school admissions process will get the help that they need.
I agree with both elements of my hon. Friend’s points. When parents are making a choice about a school, it is important, as far as possible, that they discuss the decision with their children. That is why we encourage parents to involve their children in the decision-making process, which might involve, for example, choice advisers facilitating joint sessions with children or providing parents with advice on talking through these issues with children. However, it does, as my hon. Friend said also, remain the parents’ final decision. We think that that is right, especially when it involves younger children. We are largely talking about children who will be 10 or 11 at the point at which parents make this decision.
I hope that my hon. Friend will feel reassured that we would encourage parents to involve their children in the decision-making process. However, we do not feel that it is necessary to make the legislative provision that the amendments would bring.