Clause 5

Part of Education Bill – in a Public Bill Committee at 9:45 am on 17 March 2011.

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Photo of Tessa Munt Tessa Munt Liberal Democrat, Wells 9:45, 17 March 2011

The school will be aware of such circumstances, but that does not magic up a school bus, more public transport or another route home for the children concerned. The school will be fully aware of those who use the school bus, but that does not solve the transport problem. I have said that it would be appropriate for a school to contact parents, preferably by text or e-mail so that there is a record to prove that contact has been made. Amendment 42 states that there should be

“full consideration of the implications for the parent or carer”.

That is an impossibility; it is not measurable or deliverable in any way. Teachers might think that they were aware of the implications, but the measure is unworkable.

Amendment 43 says:

“the school must give reasonable notice to the parent or carer of the pupil”.

I am not entirely sure what “reasonable notice” means, because in some people’s view it might be longer than 24 hours. Someone needs to define what “reasonable” is, because we have no idea what that term means or how long would be deemed reasonable.

My second point is one that I have raised before. In amendment 43, there is a requirement for “confirmation”. What happens if that confirmation is withheld? Is an automatic response to an e-mail deemed to be confirmation  of receipt? What happens in the case of a text? Alternatively, if there is a phone call how would that call be recorded, in case it was ever challenged at some point in the future?

The issue is really that of 24 hours’ notice. We already have 24-hour notice detentions and the previous Government certainly seemed to have been happy with that arrangement. I go back to the fact that we should look purely at a duty on the school to—