New Clause 5
Education and Inspections Bill
12:00 pm

Sarah Teather (Shadow Secretary of State for Education and Skills, Education & Skills; Brent East, Liberal Democrat)

I beg to move, That the clause be read a Second time.

There is considerable evidence from a wide range of studies—I will not go into all of them—that schools that control their own admissions tend to use it to increase social segregation. Despite the Government having made it obligatory to adhere to a code, we are worried that it will be easy to bend and not easy to enforce. My greatest concern is whether a system that requires so many safeguards is really safe in the first place. As the Government have been unwilling to accept our constructive suggestions on improving the admissions process, the new clause would remove the ability of new foundation schools to control their own admissions and be their own admission authority.

Nick Gibb (Shadow Minister (Schools), Education; Bognor Regis and Littlehampton, Conservative)

It seems that the Liberals take every opportunity to undermine the Bill’s objectives. Section 88 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998 states that the admission authority of a foundation or voluntary aided school shall be the governing body of that school. Despite that, the new clause provides that the local authority, not the governing body, would be the admission authority for new foundation schools acquiring a foundation and for academies. It would drive a coach and horses through the entire thrust of the Bill, and we shall vote against it if the hon. Lady divides the Committee on the new clause.

Jim Knight (Minister of State, Department for Education and Skills; South Dorset, Labour)

There is little for me to add to the debate. Trust schools will be required to operate their admissions in the same way as any other foundation or voluntary aided school and to comply with all admissions law. We have set out and strengthened the code. There is the ability to appeal to the schools adjudicator from the admission forum, which in turn has increased powers.

As the hon. Member for Bognor Regis and Littlehampton said, the new clause would drive a coach and horses through the Bill and what we are trying to achieve. There is no reason why trust schools and academies should have less freedom than other schools that are their own admission authority. Sufficient safeguards are in place and I will table further amendments on safeguards on Report. We want to ensure that admission arrangements are fair and in accordance with the code. I hope that the hon. Lady will ask leave to withdraw the new clause.

Sarah Teather (Shadow Secretary of State for Education and Skills, Education & Skills; Brent East, Liberal Democrat)

Without the further safeguards that we suggested in the previous proposal, we are not happy to give schools greater freedom to be their own admission authority. For that reason, we will divide the Committee on the new clause.