John Hayes (Shadow Minister (Vocational Education), Education; South Holland & The Deepings, Conservative)

And none more so than the hon. Gentleman. So I shall speak briefly.

Clause 41 locks schools into a three-year contract with their chosen admissions system. Two years would be more flexible, allowing schools to tailor their admissions system over a reduced period. The White Paper, which has become something of a bible for Opposition Members, says:

“No one approach towards admissions will work in all circumstances. This is why we want to ensure that all self-governing schools (Foundation, voluntary aided and Trust)”—

for that is what they were then going to be called—

“are free to use the approach to fair admissions that they think will best meet their local circumstances, as long as it is compatible with the Admissions Code. We want them to be able to do so without having to go through a complex and bureaucratic process.”

We, too, want the emphasis to be with the schools. The schools are closest to the needs of the children and, therefore, most able to assess the impact of their admissions arrangements. We feel that the greater flexibility offered in our amendments would be of immense benefit to schools and so improve the Bill.

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