Clause 2

Part of Education and Skills Bill – in a Public Bill Committee at 10:45 am on 5 February 2008.

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Photo of Jim Knight Jim Knight Minister of State (Schools and Learners), Department for Children, Schools and Families, Minister of State (Department for Children, Schools and Families) (Schools and Learners) 10:45, 5 February 2008

I can see the temptation to think that, but I argue that if we give people the opt-out, we remove the momentum. The duties in the Bill are balancing duties—duties on young people balanced by duties on local authorities. The enforcement process is costly to local authorities, it is something that they would have to administer, and it is therefore more of a driver for them to put the necessary support measures in place to avoid the need for enforcement. I would argue that, by having some clear and definite measures in place, with a definite end time of 2013 and then 2015, we will create the momentum we need to get those measures in place early. We know that the current cohort finishing primary school will be the first year to whom the set of measures apply, and we need to ensure that their educational journey from now on is configured around the duty to participate applying to them in 2013, and not the possibility that it might apply to them in 2013, which just changes the mindset completely.