Live Debate: Lords Chamber

Oral questions: Interim update on UK Supreme Court judgment in 'For Women Scotland v The Scottish Ministers', issued by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) on 25 April

I thank the noble Lord for his question and obviously agree with him. I just want to touch on one example of one of the new bodies

11:39

Baroness Smith of Malvern, Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities) (Labour)

- -

that has been criticised by colleagues opposite. Great British Rail, Your Lordships' House discussed on many occasions. Is discussed on many occasions. Is going to replace Network Rail. Is going to save £150 million a year in going to save £150 million a year in fees paid to the private sector. There is a purpose to what we are doing to make sure that we have the doing to make sure that we have the right arm's-length bodies were necessary but that we also have appropriate responsibilities and accountability to Your Lordships' House.

**** Possible New Speaker ****

Fourth Oral Question, Baroness Ludford. I beg leave to ask the question standing in my name on the Order

**** Possible New Speaker ****

Paper. The government did not receive advanced site or notice of this

11:39

Baroness Levitt (Labour)

- -

advanced site or notice of this interim data from the EHRC. The government had requested a meeting with the chair to discuss their approach to developing an updated statutory code of practice which will reflect the implications of the ruling and support service providers, and this meeting will take place soon. The EHRC will consult with relevant parties on its revised code and we expect them to do this widely and broadly, listening to diverse voices. We will then consider the EHRC's updated draft code once they have something -- submitted it.

-- submitted it.

11:40

Baroness Smith of Malvern, Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities) (Labour)

- -

I thank the Minister for her answer. I speak today as primarily a lawyer but also as the parent of a transit child. These matters should be discussed in a non-partisan way with the respect of all those involved. Does my noble friend agree that it would be wise for the EHRC to consult the Attorney General given that the update issued last Friday evening contained legal inaccuracies which, of course, because consultation --

**** Possible New Speaker ****

consternation to real people living their lives. The approach set out is precisely

**** Possible New Speaker ****

The approach set out is precisely what I outlined last week in responding to the statement. The government has set out our government has set out our expectation that service providers follow the clarity that the ruling follow the clarity that the ruling provides. The EHRC's update provides how the judgement should be applied in some areas. The snapshot reflection rather than full reflection rather than full guidance. The EHRC has updated -- announced they will be updating their code of guidance.

I'm sure that they will consult widely on this. I would add that the application of the Supreme Court ruling to different services and settings is complex. It requires careful work to ensure that we provide clarity for a wide range of varied service providers of different kinds and sizes so that they have confidence in how they apply the equality act on a day-to- day basis.

11:41

Baroness Falkner of Margravine (Crossbench)

- -

I declare an interest as Chair of the EHRC and I hope that I might be able to eliminate into the house what happened and appreciate the Minister's response just now. Which she agree with section 2.2 of the framework documents that we have with government, that EHRC does not perform its functions on behalf of government and is to operate independently of government. Moreover, she has to ensure that the commissioners -- commission is under as few constraints as possible in

11:42

Baroness Smith of Malvern, Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities) (Labour)

- -

as few constraints as possible in determining its activities, priorities and timetables. Having listened to her response, I know listened to her response, I know that she will agree with me that our priority is to explain the lot to the public, which we have done so in the public, which we have done so in this interim statement and to undertake the consultation of the practical implications of the practical implications of the judgement. We will be seeking views from as many affected stakeholders as we possibly can.

This is profoundly important for the trans profoundly important for the trans community and it is right that we publish a brief statement of the law and will be consulting with them extensively as we go forward.

11:43

Lord Herbert of South Downs (Conservative)

- -

The noble Lady is right that the EHRC is the government's independent regulator of equality, of the Equality Act in this case. I welcome her commitment to both producing statutory code of practice and to the consultation that she has alluded to.

**** Possible New Speaker ****

The advance of Equality for gay

**** Possible New Speaker ****

The advance of Equality for gay and lesbian people over the last century has largely become settled because it was achieved without because it was achieved without diminishing the rights of others. But in seeking protections for transgender people, there is often a transgender people, there is often a perceived or actual clash with the rights of others, namely women, and

11:43

Baroness Smith of Malvern, Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities) (Labour)

- -

rights of others, namely women, and there in lies the difficulties which we are discussing. And helping us to navigate these issues, would there be merit in overall independent review of these matters as I proposed three years ago? At the moment, we have a piecemeal approach with the Supreme Court decision, EHRC rulings, the Cas review, other governmental decisions and in all of this, a culture war being fought which is immensely damaging to the individuals concerned. Is it not time to look at these issues dispassionately, carefully, to detoxify the debate, and put the interests of all of those concerned

**** Possible New Speaker ****

in the right footing? Well, I think the Supreme Court did look at the issues dispassionately, but the point is dispassionately, but the point is that there is now the requirement to consider the implications of the judgement. To do that in a way that judgement. To do that in a way that provides assurance to service providers and others, that the role of the code of practice and the EHRC, in the way in which I've just outlined. Where I agree with the noble Lord, and let me speak clearly that the Supreme Court was clear about this as well, is that this is not about winners and losers.

It's about ensuring that there is more clarity in the law and brought respect for the rights of all people respect for the rights of all people in this country. As the Supreme Court made clear, there is nothing Court made clear, there is nothing in this ruling which undermines the protections for trans people as put protections for trans people as put into the Equality Act 2010.

11:45

Baroness Burt of Solihull (Liberal Democrat)

- -

The need for the interim statement into -- illustrate to meet

11:46

Baroness Smith of Malvern, Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities) (Labour)

- -

the extent of the anxiety, confusion and disruption surrounding how the ruling will be interpreted. And ruling will be interpreted. And whilst the government, whilst the guidance is only interim, it shows guidance is only interim, it shows that there are still a lot of unanswered questions about how this is going to work in practice. So will the government plays take a will the government plays take a lead, can the situation and begin to work across party to find a way forward which allows everyone to feel safe and protected by the feel safe and protected by the

11:46

Baroness Williams of Trafford (Conservative)

- -

I hope we have been calm. We have been clear but I also think we have been calm and committed to ensuring that all groups. What it by the actions that we take. The responsibility for laying down the code of practice does rest with the EHRC and I'm sure they will have heard the call from the noble Lady. We are committed to making sure the cord is developed of the back of cord is developed of the back of widespread consultation.

-- code. widespread consultation. -- code.

11:47

Baroness Smith of Malvern, Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities) (Labour)

- -

Before statutory guidance is issued, how will the government meet legal obligations across public services in compliance with the judgement?

11:47

Baroness Thornton (Labour)

- -

In terms of the clarity of the judgement, as we discussed last week in response to the statement, there is already work going on across, for example, the health service and other parts of government services and I think the important clarity around some of the complexities in the application of this judgement will be provided through the statutory code that the EHRC are producing and I look forward to that. that. Notwithstanding what the chair of

11:48

Baroness Smith of Malvern, Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities) (Labour)

- -

11:51

Legislation: Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill - second reading

11:51

Baroness Smith of Malvern, Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities) (Labour)

- -

My My Lords, My Lords, second My Lords, second reading My Lords, second reading of My Lords, second reading of the Children's Well-Being and Schools Bill.

**** Possible New Speaker ****

Whilst I might have felt offended by the exodus of so many people at the end of oral questions, I am the end of oral questions, I am reassured by the large number of people who want to contribute to people who want to contribute to this debate today. I beg to move that this bill be read a second that this bill be read a second time. It is an honour to read the second reading of the well being and schools Bill.

There are a few topics which unite members of orthoses more deeply than the well-being of children and the numbers of children and the numbers of contributors demonstrate that today. This bill has been steered through the other House by ministerial colleagues and I want to acknowledge those across political parties and from key external organisations you have spoken so passionately and sensitively in support of child safeguarding and ensuring every child has the opportunity to thrive. There are voices had been invaluable in shaping this debate and the commitment to protecting children is appreciated.

I'm pleased to be working alongside Baroness Blake. Her expertise in social care and education is invaluable and I'm grateful for her support as we take this bill forward. It represents an enormously important opportunity to improve social care and school systems and the chance to make meaningful change to the lives of children and families through legislation of this kind is real and I look forward to the full and impactful debate ahead. It delivers on manifesto commitments to drive high and rising standards in schools and ensure every child has the opportunity to achieve and thrive.

I know that all members of the House share fundamental belief that children deserve more but life chances are currently limited by systemic obstacles. Children at risk of abuse are falling through the cracks of the safeguarding systems and at the same time while the best schools and trusts have shown how collaboration and strong leadership and innovation can transform education, many schools are held back by a system that does not work well enough. The bill will strengthen protections for vulnerable children and ensure those in care have the security and stability that they need to thrive.

It goes beyond these essential safeguarding reforms and ensures opportunity is encouraged in every school. Every child deserves access to excellent teaching and a school system that gives them the foundations to succeed, no matter where they live audio circumstances. The bill sets out a comprehensive package of support to advance significant improvements across the education and care systems and encourages innovation and excellence and ensures fair and accountable system that work for every child. For too many children, the background has a decisive negative impact on the life that they are able to build.

Ensuring every child starts the school being nourished, focused, ready to learn as fundamental to the commitment to breaking down barriers to success. That is why this bill delivers on the manifesto pledge to place a duty on every state-funded primary school, to introduce free breakfast, making them accessible to all children regardless of background. Breakfast clubs have proven benefits and boost attendance and improve academic attainment and enhance emotional well-being of children. Access remains fragmented and despite the good work of the breakfast program, it only reaches 2000 primary schools and covers only a fraction of those in need and funds only a fraction of the cost of food delivery and leaves skills to cover expenses.

The bill goes further than expanding the existing program. It is a fundamental shift in supporting education and well- being. From April, 750 schools across all main regions including 45 across all main regions including 45 special skills have led the way in daily breakfast clubs and have saved parents up to £450 a year. Early adopters will be part of the test to strengthen the delivery of the national role and learn what works and develop the program and the bill will ensure the opportunity is provided by universal breakfast clubs to reach all primary children.

In a country where 3.5 million children are growing up in poverty, we must ensure no child's future is determined by financial circumstances and breaking down barriers to opportunity goes beyond the classroom. The bill will help by limiting branding items of school uniform and reducing unnecessary costs and putting money back in the pockets of parents. Our responsibility is greatest to those children who need our protection and safeguarding. We must learn from the safeguarding. We must learn from the tragic cases of children who have been failed by the system.

The bill delivers on important recommendations from recent reviews, including the independent review of social care, the Child Protection Review published by the review panel and a study into social care placements published by the Competition And Markets Authority and the Measures Are Informed by evidence of local practice. The priority is to keep children and families together wherever it is safe to do so by helping more families stay together and improving outcomes for our children and reducing the number of children that need to enter the care system.

The bill strengthens early support and ensures those at risk of family breakdown can create a plan that prioritises the needs of their child. It places duty on local child. It places duty on local authorities to offer decision making trips before an application for a supervision order is made and potentially preventing many children from going into care and instead safely remaining with their families. To support more children staying with relatives, friends, connected persons, the bill requires connected persons, the bill requires all local authorities to publish details.

Every child deserves a stable and loving home and this bill takes meaningful steps to make that takes meaningful steps to make that a reality and to strengthen safeguarding. We are placing a duty and partners to fully include education and childcare settings in arrangements, ensuring no opportunity to protect children is missed. We are also requiring local safeguarding partners to establish multiagency child protection in every area and take decisive action when necessary. For too long, poor information sharing has contributed to serious child safeguarding incidents including in reviews following the death of our serious injury to a child.

To ensure no child goes unseen or unsupported, the bill sets the foundation for the introduction of a unique identifier for children and strengthens the regulatory regime in place for independent educational institutions. Parents have the right to have wishes regarding their child's educator respected but that education must be suitable and the child must be safe. This bill establishes mandatory registers for children not in school full-time. So that we know where children are and that their education is safe and suitable.

And when care is necessary, it must work for children, not for profit. In 2022 the Competition And Markets Authority and Independent Review of Social Care find levels of profit in the care placement market were above those that would be expected in a those that would be expected in a To prevent children's healthcare providers writing at the expense of vulnerable children, we are introducing a new power enabling the introducing a new power enabling the Secretary of State to cap profits.

End because care does not end at four -- 18, we are providing support to ensure that young people leaving care have stability and the right help to build a bright future. Every child is entitled to a high quality state education. Whilst there has been progress over the years, our system is simply not working well enough for everybody. Standards vary widely with a stark contrast between the best and worst schools. The gap between the best and worst performing schools is now equivalent to more than two GCSE grades per subject.

To many schools are stuck, trapped in cycles of underperformance without the capacity or momentum to improve and children with additional needs are not getting the support that they need. The attainment gap for disadvantaged children at key stage II and Key stage IV has remained consistently high and has yet to return to pre-pandemic levels. There are large and persistent attainment gaps at all stages of education. Currently, 39% of children are not meeting expected standards in all of reading, writing and maths as they believe -- they leave school.

We have an absence crisis with approximately one in five children missing school each fortnight. This needs to change. High and rising standards in every classroom must be the right of every child. Delivered through a broad, high-quality curriculum, taught by skilled and dedicated tutors -- teachers. That Assessment Review which will deliver a broad, ridge and innovative curriculum to ensure that all children and young people have the essential knowledge and skills that set them up for work in life.

Teaching quality is the most important in school determinant of outcomes. That's why this government is committed to recruiting 6.5 thousand new expert teachers among the mainstream secondary and specialist colleges, schools and art colleges. This bill then is a charter providing core guarantee of education in every school no matter where you live. The bill will establish by requiring all schools to adhere to a pay minimum. This to adhere to a pay minimum. This will ensure a pay structure supporting retention.

Additionally, Academy trust will be required to consider school teachers pay and conditions document when setting staff conditions, further promoting fairness and consistency across the education system. The bill will ensure that when the rational curriculum is reformed -- national curriculum is reformed, it will work for all children in all schools. New teachers either have or are working towards qualified teacher status followed by a period of statutory induction. To provide greater certainty for families, the bill strengthens collaboration between schools and local authorities on admissions and placed planning.

It also introduces more flexibility in how we support struggling schools. When academies were introduced by the last Labour government, they were the disruptors in the system. They challenged and supported the schools who most needed it to improve. Now they are the system. Over 80% of secondary schools are academies. We need new challenge, new urgency and new tools to drive improvement were schools just are not doing well enough for our children. That's why this bill enables range of intervention to address underperformance.

While academisation will remain a key tool for tackling failing schools, the bill gives the government more discretion to apply the most appropriate solutions to individual cases. This includes supporting the deployment of our RISE teams. These are teams of proven leaders with a track record of improving schools and delivering for children. As we announced on Tuesday, additional 45 advisers have joined last month, tripling the total number to 65. This will enable us to expand our reach from initial 32 schools to more than 200.

We will reach more than 200,000 children and put us on track to reaching schools by March 2026. Through these reforms we aim to ensure that every child can attend a high quality local school and receive the education they deserve. This bill makes a vital, practical changes to our children's social care and education systems. There will be tangible improvements for every young person as a result. This government has been clear in setting out its mission to ensure that a child's future should not be

12:07

The Earl of Effingham (Conservative)

- -

determined by their circumstances. I know that this is a principle widely know that this is a principle widely shared across the house. By shared across the house. By addressing the systemic barriers that too often hold our children back, we have a unique opportunity through this bill to create a more through this bill to create a more equitable and successful environment where all young people have the where all young people have the chance to achieve and thrive. My Lords, I beg to move.

**** Possible New Speaker ****

Lords, I beg to move. The question is that this bill be

**** Possible New Speaker ****

now read a second time. My Lords, please let me thank the

**** Possible New Speaker ****

My Lords, please let me thank the noble Baroness the Minister for the comprehensive way with which she has set out the purpose of this key legislation. His majesties official wrap -- opposition welcomes the wrap -- opposition welcomes the government's ambition to protect children and ensure that they have the best opportunities in life the best opportunities in life regardless of any challenges they may have faced during their childhood. As Your Lordships' House is aware, this bill comprises two is aware, this bill comprises two have -- two halves.

And whilst both parts of the bill are focused on the future of children across the country, there are some distinct differences between the two parts. The former seeks to improve the children's social care system. Noble Lords know that outcomes for children in the care system remain stubbornly poor, despite efforts from repeated governments to improve them. Part one includes many elements that were recommended by the independent review into children social care, commissioned by the last government and published in 2022. As noble Lords will be aware, it was ably led by the honourable member for white having.

-- Whitehaven. There are areas in part one where we all seek to probe, development clarify regarding the practical implementation but in the round, this is the second of the bill were the need for legislation is understood. It is a huge responsibility to do one plasma collective best to represent the interests of children and young people who have been so disadvantaged through no fault of their own. And in doing so, we will focus on areas where we think the bill could be strengthened, including in relation to support for kinship carers in particular and foster carers more broadly.

We are keen to see the support for care leavers be as effective as possible. We will encourage the government to consider what support can be given to mothers who have already had one or more children removed from them by the local authority, and we will press the government to improve the protections for children deprived of their liberty, some as young as seven, which is a truly chilling thought. We will press for greater clarity on the implementation of family group conferencing and seek an explanation for the approach the government is adopting to the introduction of a unique child identifier.

More broadly, we remain sceptical about the government's approach for regulation of children's homes and fostering agencies. We fear that this will result in more bureaucracy and no change in the supply. Given that research by Ofsted showed that up to 50% of children in children's homes had a foster placement specified on the care plan, there is a pressing need to address the fundamental issues, which limit the number of foster carers. We are aware that many organisations, including the Children's Commissioner have called for childcare and education agencies to be full partners in local safeguarding arrangements.

We anticipate that on many of these issues, we will be probing the government alongside noble Lords from all sides of the house. It from all sides of the house. It would be fair to say that we cannot share the same enthusiasm and support for the second part of the bill, which relates to schools. We believe that the measures in this part of the bill simply will not provide the best education possible for our children. If past, these elements of the bill will override years of cross-party support and will reverse the very system that has seen English children move up the rankings across the board in reading, science and maths -- passed.

This bill risks undermining the consensus of the last 20 years on the benefits that come from giving greater autonomy to local schools and trust, whilst having house -- high standards of transparency and accountability. It is the system that has seen English schoolchildren become the best in the Western world at both reading and maths, and to change this without clear evidence to justify it without clear evidence to justify it is both serious and risky. My Lords, we foresee far-reaching and negative consequences arising from some of the provisions in the second half of this bill.

We are not alone in this view. The Confederation of school -- School Trusts is very concerned about the removal of academy freedoms that have so improved our education system. One only needs to look at the contrast with Scotland and Wales who have not adopted the English reforms to see the evidence in stark relief. We will respectfully explore, we will respectfully explore, we will question and in some cases, as His Majesty's Government have themselves done when they were in opposition, we will challenge outright.

Please allow me to begin with the area on which we have the greatest concerns. Namely, the clauses relating to academies. These are the most significant as they seek to undo the progress that has been made over the last two decades. Academies represented 80% of secondary schools in 2024 and nearly 43% of primary schools. So for His Majesty's Government to introduce such wide- ranging and radical changes without support from the sector does not make sense. We respectfully urge the government to listen to the voices all around Your Lordships' House to make improvements to the bill as they did in the other place over the pay and conditions of academy teachers.

Academies have been at the forefront of fostering innovation in our school system and led the turnaround of some of the most challenging schools in this country. I know that the noble Lord Lord Harris of Peckham, Lord Agnew of Oulton, Lord Fink and Lord Nash have all been involved in doing this difficult and crucial work, as well as the noble Lord Lord Younger Laughton -- Lord Young of actin. -- Acton. The Children's Commissioner has also raised concerns about the restriction of academy freedoms and we hope the scrutiny that Your Lordships' House will provide His Majesty's Government will allow the time needed to consider the importance of these expert voices.

None of this is to suggest that improvements could not be made to the current system of regulation of our schools, but a forward-looking, positive and aspirational vision for all of our schools appears to be lacking from this bill. The bill lacking from this bill. The bill also fails to introduce a ban on the use of smart phones in schools. The previous government guidance for schools on banning phones was a positive first step to take but it is not doing enough.

Only 11% of schools have an effective ban in place and scores of scientific studies have been undertaken which link both better mental health and better school attainment to removing better school attainment to removing We recognise this is not universally welcomed by head teachers. We are concerned that in this case we should use the precautionary principle when dealing with the mental health of children. I am very much looking forward to the noble Baroness Lady Kidron's valuable contribution today, following on from the excellent debate that she led on this subject in November of last year.

There are also concerns of breakfast clubs being introduced through the bill having practical issues and we will seek to table amendments to deal with this. Of the 750 schools involved in the program, they have already been 79 schools that have dropped out. We understand that some of these schools have given funding shortfall as the reason for a living. The CEO of the Warrington Academy Trust says the scheme is in danger of falling flat because of the funding shortfall and so there are practical issues remaining before the scheme can be rolled out nationwide.

If the Minister can please take the opportunity to explain the government position on the dropout rate in closing remarks, it would be appreciated. We turn to the proposal set out in the bill to introduce laws that govern the specific number of school uniform items that a of school uniform items that a school can require a child to have. We worry that this approach could backfire, with children feeling under pressure to wear the latest fashion which is more expensive than they are uniform.

This blanket approach does not allow for schools to provide a free uniform or account for the fact that schools may provide it at a discount and therefore it can be more expensive. We will explore this further art committee. Protecting the well-being committee. Protecting the well-being and education of children is essential for protecting the future of the country and indeed for economic growth and reducing the burden of the NHS. The official Opposition accepts some part of the bill are parts of manifesto commitments and we will seek to ensure that these areas work well in ensure that these areas work well in practice.

The Speaker list is like a Who's Who of education experts and on our benches alone we have three former secretaries of state for education as well as the noble Lord, education as well as the noble Lord, Lord Harris of Peckham. What allows Lord Harris of Peckham to have legal -- hero status as he has done more to help children than any Labour Pearson is Clement Attlee and Bevan. I am looking forward to hearing from Lord Mohammed.

It was said to be impossible to get all of the

12:20

Lord Addington (Liberal Democrat)

- -

speakers today into a room together speakers today into a room together at the same time was it not for your Lordships house. We hope that the government will listen to the collective experts sitting all collective experts sitting all around the House on aspects of this, including on their own benches who were involved in the leadership of were involved in the leadership of multi-Academy trusts and thinking again because surely children deserve no less.

**** Possible New Speaker ****

My Lords, I agree with a couple

**** Possible New Speaker ****

My Lords, I agree with a couple of things that he said. One is that we have the great and the good of we have the great and the good of education gathered in the House today and many people actually have been involved in education and the been involved in education and the current education system for a long current education system for a long time and I look forward to hearing what they have got to say because I what they have got to say because I have worked against and with some of them successfully and sometimes they may have cursed me but we have striven forward and I look forward to what they have to say.

Part one to what they have to say. Part one of the bill you have many things that have provided us with debate after debate and many of them are depressing debates and I thank the government for bringing them forward and let's hope we can look at them. Many issues here we have heard an untold number of the bits about and it has not gone that well. In the way that they choose to implement the passing of information, this might be one of the most interesting bits and often the mistakes that have come have been from a lack of coordination and I look forward to seeing how we can advance that and check it as far as we can by debate and make sure it will work properly.

It is not an easy topic and I think most people involved accept that and they might not be perfect answers improvement is possible and certainly looking at it cohesively together is something we should have done a while ago. I thank the government for doing that. Baroness Tyler is involved in a lot of this and I feel others that I cannot imagine will be quiet and it is something that we have discussed a something that we have discussed a lot.

I hope that we have an open mind to look at the experience of the House to make sure that we get through. Personally, I will spend slightly more time and consideration on part two of the bill and I would like to say something about that. Anybody who has been in the House a long time would be surprised if I didn't mention special educational needs. At the moment, it is a hideous mess. The primary beneficiaries of the system are lawyers and people giving expensive diagnosis and that is a definition of failure and we don't have anything on here and my honourable friend in the other place move forward an amendment on this and we should look at that again and possibly more.

We have got to see if we can set the grounds for easier intervention. I look across and there are certain aspects of the current system which have not helped. The fact you can be a failing school, let's start with a declaration of interest. I am dyslexic and President of the British Dyslexia Association. And the chairman of a firm that does assisted technology in education and if you do not make it easy to give structure and help to schools, you will always have problems.

The emphasis on passing English to a dyslexic almost felt like a personal assault. You have to do this if I have got it right. My Lords, it is a system that is bad for people with bad short-term memory and so it does not work that way. It is the way that you are supposed to teach and a greater degree of flexibility, something we were told about before, and it will be a great strength of this and it is something that is important.

If we get some guidance on the way the curriculum and the SEND strategy is envisaged as it comes in, in the course of this bill, I will be grateful. It is something coming in and is also an opportunity because of the high number of pupils not in school. We are talking about home education in the bill, a lot about it. The biggest group of home educators that I first met were people for whom the SEND was not being met.

Parents often reluctantly are taking children out of school and it has become a more acceptable way forward Global Lord Agnew have been talking about this and it is against the spirit of the academies and if you have a system where your career and school and status can be defeated or destroyed by not having the correct pass rate, on diagnosed, suspected, dyslexics and other neurodivergent students are something I might think about getting rid of if I was in that situation.

A better definition and better identification process here would be massively helpful and making sure that there is a gap for it is something that we must do. To look at the rest of it, the academies must work with local authorities in bringing this for the forward and that is something that we must look at and make sure that we get right. The fact that they are a dominant group, let's look at it this way, in terms of when the previous government decided it would not go for compulsory academies at the fact that there were local authority schools will be doing a good job and this seems to be consensus and there is a group of converted academies and there is not converted academies and there is not much in it.

If I have got the term right, those who have been forced to change. If we're going to make sure that they all work together against this, I welcome the fact that we are going to get them working together. There are other things. The school uniform, it is getting a little silly, a few items. Why not put a maximum budget on fortune can charge? Encouraging second-hand school uniforms might be one solution and when it comes to the breakfast clubs which have been much promoted, all I can say is that the bus is occasionally late and in rural areas making sure the baskets there on time will be a challenge.

How the government proposes to deal with local transport systems will be interesting. We think the extra calories should be given to you at lunchtime. There are solutions like school branch but I feel it sounds like a daytime TV program. We applaud the fact that making sure people are properly fed, we think it is a difficult way of doing it and as we go through the rest of the bill, I don't think that there is much to say other than the joys of clause 63.

Henry VIII has raised his head again. Last time that we had a big education bill here, the previous government in charge, we had this upfront and we got these ones tucked in the back. If I am wrong about this, I look forward to the Minister telling me why I am wrong. The fact that you can make changes by regulation and we know how difficult they are to change, we cannot amend them, we have got to reject them, and this is something that happens every time we try, Kandy minister explain how that will work? It is not the case of the Secretary of State saying we will change with no element of Parliamentary insights.

Having said all that, I look forward to the bill and working through it. There is no shortage of expertise on this to make sure we can actually dig down into it and I hope that we will come to a better conclusion. One final point, wouldn't it be a good idea if, in this bill, we could find one little section that encourages outside bodies like sports clubs to

12:30

Lord Bichard (Crossbench)

- -

enhance the activity of school sport? The same could be done for drama and music. It would be nice to drama and music. It would be nice to take the opportunity to correct that bit of the education system because bit of the education system because we all know it is only if you do it at school you stop being at school

**** Possible New Speaker ****

at school you stop being at school By any measure, this is a landmark bill. In the very short time available today, I want to focus on that part of the bill which concerns child protection and safeguarding, and in particular safeguarding, and in particular clauses 2 to 4. Child safety remains a priority of the education system and the government. Schools themselves are safer places than they were back in the day when I heard the enquiry.

More rigorous staff interviews, designated safeguarding, better training for all staff have played their part in that. Is the Children's Commissioner said recently, schools also play a fundamental and wider role in keeping children safe and protecting them from harm. Children simply trust schools. They trust teachers, they trust teachers assistants and those teachers are often the first to know if children are facing challenges in their lives. So it's important to ensure that the knowledge which schools have is available to all who are tasked with protecting children.

That's why the bill places a duty on safeguarding partners, local authorities, the police and health, to secure the participation and -- of health setting. To ensure that the education view is heard. That's a step forward. But I agree with the Children's Commissioner and others that schools should not just be participants. They should be equal partners to properly underline their status and their responsibility in the safeguarding process. I also think that the bill should recognise and reference faith-based and community organisations in the safeguarding frameworks and safeguarding process to avoid gaps in oversight, especially from marginalised children.

Well-being and safeguarding are not the sole responsibility of the statutory organisations. They are the responsibility also of community organisations who play such an important part but who at the moment are overlooked by the bill in the way that they can sometimes be overlooked on the ground. The common thread, as has already been said in the findings of every child abuse enquiry, since the case of Maria Cardwell 15 years and more ago, a common thread has been the failure of agencies involved to share information.

Your Lordships own public services select committee which I sat on at the time in 2021 concluded that data sharing between government departments and between local agencies was a long-standing problem, which endangered vulnerable children and their families. At the moment, social care services are not always told when the police arrest a child. They don't always know if pupils are on waiting lists for mental health services. So I'm actually delighted that the bill seeks to address data sharing. I'm seeks to address data sharing.

I'm especially pleased to see that very long overdue proposal to introduce a consistent, unique identifier for children. That should make it easier to create a comprehensive profile for a child, should make it easier to achieve smooth transitions when children change schools or move local authority areas. The question local authority areas. The question for me and one we should be asking ourselves during committee is whether the changes proposed even know go far enough to reverse decades of learned behaviour.

I have long argued that our society has prioritised the protection of data ahead of the protection of children. That has changed. This is the chance

**** Possible New Speaker ****

to change it and we should take it. My Lords, I begin by expressing

12:35

The Lord Bishop of Manchester (Bishops)

- -

**** Possible New Speaker ****

My Lords, I begin by expressing my thanks to all noble Lords who have reached out to me following the announcement that I will be taken on announcement that I will be taken on the role of convener next month. I look forward to working with you all. I also look forward to data hearing maiden speeches from the noble Lord Mohammed of Tinsley and Lord Baker -- Biggar. My own journey through this house highlighted the disadvantages seen by many care leavers.

Research from Barnardo's shows that 39% of care leavers are not in education and training compared to 13% of young people in general. We are failing almost 2 in five of those who have care experience. Care leavers I met through the charity become highlighted how much depends on the whim of their particular local authority. Young people who move away for work or further education are especially prone to losing support. We need a universal offer for young people leaving care, one which local authorities are obliged to meet.

At a later stage, I will be seeking to explore the shape of such an offer, potentially including prescription, bus travel, help with rent deposit and guarantees, eligibility for the over 25 rates of Universal Credit and greater support for those who go into apprenticeships the University. Care leavers are proportionately -- disproportionately represented in unemployment, poverty, homelessness, for educational attainment. I've been looking at amendments to embed care experience in quality assessments so that care leavers are put at the heart of decision-making.

I'm grateful for the comments about foster parents who provide such an important service in helping children to flourish and thrive. Moving briefly to other areas, I have received some very concerning representations regarding the impact of the bill on the issue was that support -- Yeshivas that supply private schooling. If this goes ahead and amended, Yeshivas will be forced to close. They will not register as educational institutions as that is not what they are. I hope the Minister will be able to assure us there will be some comprehensive consultation with faith communities regarding the regulatory framework that is to be applied under clause 36.

Children who have a parent in prison are at particular risk of going into the curses of. This bill could represent a step forward for the provision of support for such families. Church of England schools along with colleagues in the Catholic education service are passionate about how we improve the lives of children with incarcerated parents. The Bishop of Gloucester who can paint her place today will be looking at how the bill can be strengthened in this regard along strengthened in this regard along with me.

We welcome and look forward to engaging positively with this will as it progresses.

**** Possible New Speaker ****

I join -- just wanted to very

**** Possible New Speaker ****

I join -- just wanted to very briefly about schools today. I seen verse -- first-hand the transformative power of academies to deliver excellent education has been

12:38

Baroness Morgan of Huyton (Labour)

- -

deliver excellent education has been very. And academies were introduced, and I was an involved enthusiast, they were two further urgent improvement of schools. Not an ideological symbol. The idea was simple but radical. Open up to new energy and expertise, other great writers, freedoms to create enthusiastic teams and ensure there was accountability so that schools that were failing children, particularly from the most disadvantaged workers, could not carry on feeling the next cohort. Network. Any of us in this house were involved in this mission.

I fear we have lost sight of the original purpose. The debate in recent times has shifted from standards and structures, from outcomes to ideology. Today, of 80% of secondary schools are academies. The landscape has fundamentally changed. Academisation alone and not be the answer when it's already the dominant model. In some cases, has delivered hugely but it does not a panacea. What we need now again is to refocus on standards and outcomes for every child at every school, whatever the structure, whatever the badge on the school gate.

We should remember was work and replicate that. We should be totally and utterly impatient and relentless about quality in any school. Any school that is failing its pupils should be given a short focus period to improve dramatically. -- If it can't, leadership must change. Handing over a school to a poorly providing provider is not acceptable ever. Quality and rigour are what matters. Every year, child fails is a year of potential loss. The disadvantage And regional disparities persist. What frustrates all of us is that we know we have the tools to address this but sometimes we lack the will to use them consistently.

The current reprogramming process can take years during which children continue to be felt and that has to change. We need to recapture the original spirit of Academy reform. Clear standards, strong accountability, swift intervention when those standards are not met for all schools. Accountability is more than data measurements and inspection regimes. It's about having the courage to act decisively when children are being let down. I used to say when I was there that Ofsted had to be an agent for improvement. It's reports have do need to change.

I remember talking to pupils in some of the very first academies we created. They were so excited about the tangible evidence of investment in their future. The ambition embodied in every aspect of a school. We must not lose that sense of possibility and drive for excellence. The evidence of strong chains and networks shows what would. Strong leadership, great teachers, curriculum expertise, behaviour policies that create camp learning environments, and crucially the willingness to share what works across schools. The goal remains what it always was.

To ensure that every child regardless of background has access to excellent education. Academies can and do play a crucial role in this mission but they are a means to an end, not an end in themselves. This bill has clauses that I know will lead to heated debate and I believe will improve this bill as we go along. I won't go bear on these details today. Today, message is clear to all and this has. These, let's return to first principles, high standards, strong accountability, swift action standards are not met, let's avoid excuses, justifications, compromises.

Letters Judge schools by their outcomes and letters act with urgency that our children

**** Possible New Speaker ****

deserve. There is much to commend in this

12:42

Baroness Shephard of Northwold (Conservative)

- -

**** Possible New Speaker ****

There is much to commend in this bill. Not least because it seeks, as did the last government to did the last government to strengthen the link between education and social services for the benefit of all of our children. However, it is regrettable that the bill, while the government claims its enthusiasm for driving of school standards, at the same time attacks the very freedoms of academies, which have achieved just that since the introduction. In that time, the UK has moved from 21st to seventh in maths and science.

And in the many cases where academies have replaced failing schools, they have given fresh hope to children often in disadvantaged areas. I do also question the wisdom of loading local authorities with so many obligations to set up new bodies and practices at this very moment when they themselves are facing massive change and uncertainty through the government's plans for devolution. Those changes will be necessary, of course. Is just the timing that seems to be a bit questionable, especially as some of them are due to come into force within two months when the act is passed.

Will devolution be fully in place in two months? And will be no which local authorities still exist in their present form and which do not in a completely different framework? I don't think so and it would be helpful if the noble Lady the Minister could comment on this point in her windup. It seems to me there is something of a mismatch of expectation at this stage. I welcome the planned involvement of Ofsted in and registered and therefore illegal independent schools, and importantly private providers, including those for SEND pupils.

I also welcome but very guardedly because it is a very sensitive area the introduction of a register of children not in school. Many of those educating their children at home, and this can include SEND pupils, understandably regard the motion -- measure as intolerable intrusion. Perhaps it might be better if it applied only to children known to social services. Views on this will emerge as the bill goes through this house. The noble Lord Lord Storey has done a very important work on this with his Private Members' Bill and he is concerned about the case of Sara Sharif.

I have been marked for life by the story I will recount in this house in my time as an MP, about an egregious case in 2001, ending in the manslaughter of Lauren right, aged eight at the hands of her father and stepfather -- Wright. If the social services had visited the family home, the death of Lauren would have been prevented. The Labour government at the time refused a public enquiry. I do believe, however, that the introduction of school attendance orders should be helped, especially in the wake of the pandemic and the new world of working from home.

And in the worrying reports of school heads feeling powerless to insist on attendance. Heads and teachers should be able to feel that they are supported by the provisions of the supported by the provisions of the I have noticed in my lifetime involvement in education that many, including politicians, frequency talk about what should and should not be achieved in the classroom. All too frequently, they forget that they are not in the classroom and heads and teachers are.

Those heads and teachers need the convergence of and teachers need the convergence of support within which to work. Many have commented on the expertise within this House and I believe these issues can be debated robustly these issues can be debated robustly and knowledgeably and with national expertise to the benefit of all of our children and I look forward to debates that are to come. debates that are to come.

12:47

Baroness Kidron (Crossbench)

- -

My remarks will focus on technology and skill and I wanted to take the opportunity of saying I find myself increasingly in situations where the needs of children are balanced with the proportionality principle of others and adult freedoms and there is no recognition of the Broads with of rights we are obligated to give them. I thought I would start by saying that the well-being bill should represent rods with of children's rights and meet the needs in that sense.

And it does strike me that one of the easiest and cheapest things we could do is to give them a break from well documented intrusions of digital tech while at school. I quote, a 15-year-old said it gives them brain right and stops them talking from each other. Excessive device use at home has been described as the critical bit rather than the subject in school for the decline in well-being and attainment of children but that logic normalises the constant presence of smartphones in the life of a child and actually it does nothing at all to tackle phone use at home.

I will bring this evidence to committee and it is showing that the restrictions are helpful to school communities, not only for learning but for peace in the community and friendship and flourishing, human flourishing and that the guidance, the current guidance, which is excellent, puts pressure on teachers that the statutory rules could relieve. The ministers are slow on smart phones but increasingly evangelical about bringing the technology into the classroom and I recognise that there is good evidence that those with disabilities or special needs can benefit from such technology and with more children there is no such evidence at all and there is no oversight, no pedagogical criteria, no understanding of the efficacy, no proof of learning outcomes, and, similarly, I have sat down with four ministers of education and explained the risks of uncertified safety the risks of uncertified safety technology and yet we still do not have minimum standards.

It is another, not the first, but another accident waiting to happen. Some technology is wonderful and some is benign and some is stealing data in schools and stealing opportunity to learn. And yet we are rapidly wrapping pupils in the world of digital products which isolate and normalise the screen of the human and there is no proof of the benefits. I would say the same thing about the early years, who has not seen the site of a child and a plan with a device strapped to it and children are arriving with inhibiting social skills and language and yet all of my attempts to get mandatory training for early years professionals in technology has been rebuffed and I would say that is by both sides of the House and government and Parliament must recalibrate the COVID timebomb in which children are developmentally stunted and isolated and that is increasingly the new norm of childhood in which children who are socialised by the brightly lit screens which are focused on the attention economy and not on humans flourishing.

During the committee, I will join others and put forward amendments on the issues and I will also seek to understand the scope of the technology being promised and the government's plans to give an exception to AI companies for all of our children's work and behaviour at the school. There are many wonderful uses of technology but, my lords, we must make sure that school is a place of privacy, safety, and learning for children.

12:52

Lord Blunkett (Labour)

- -

I would like to offer a warm welcome and I look forward to the speech of Lord Mohammed of Tinsley and inaudible remind me of how old I am by reflecting on his childhood. I think over the last four months there has been the most misleading rhetoric in relation to part two of the bill and I think it is our job and the House of lords to lower the temperature and get to the reality and if there are amendments to be made, to clarify, we should do so and I hope we can do that in the spirit of coming together in the interests of children.

I take up the point which is that what goes on in the classroom is what matters. And I pay tribute to those, the largest and ladies and myself and I think many would accept immediately that we did not transform where we did the ability of children to succeed and the development of the talent and the ability to shine through. It was world leadership in schools and the first class teaching and support staff that did that job.

That is what we must build on soul that I set aside the disagreements about whether multi-Academy trusts are maintained schools have done better and look at the statistics. They are very interesting. I have not got time to go into them but I can pay tribute to the sponsors and the leaders of multi-Academy trust because I was the Secretary of State who first floated the academies in the first place. Let's get it right and put the record straight about minimum rather than maximum pay and conditions and put the record straight on what happens with skills that are failing children and the required interventions and we can put the record straight on misleading comments about admissions where, by the way, the drop in pupil numbers will be catastrophic and there are no need to be coordination if massive resources are not to be wasted and I hope we can clarify the issues around a basic entitlement to a National Curriculum which Lord Baker brought in in 1988 and we will be speaking to him next in the House and P tribute to him and I to declare an interest.

I have two grandchildren at the University and technology College and I have one to go in September I now know we can clarify that a basic entitlement to a National Curriculum will not interfere with the innovation, creativity of UTCs. Let's get it right. There is so much to be done And I feel so strongly about this. Absence is up. Exclusion is up. 1 million children leaving school between 16 and 24 are not in education, employment, training. In education, employment, training.

In the surveys by PISA one life satisfaction we are second from bottom and there is so much we can do if we put the rhetoric behind us

12:56

Lord Baker of Dorking (Conservative)

- -

I'm delighted to follow Lord Blunkett who was an outstanding education secretary enormously improved the literacy and numeracy of memory skills. One thing that endeared him as two sides going to the college I went to in Sheffield for a high quality education and we have another one on the outskirts and this bill threatens the existence of UTCs. Clause 47 is pretty radical and makes this bill an international, and major change of power in the country.

It makes it a constitutional bill and because clause 47 gives powers to the secretary of and the Department. David Blunkett and I never wanted those powers and it removes the power from the local area to the centre. There has been no consultation on this. There has been no research papers saying anything - it has been plucked out of the air. I think it is very harmful indeed. Schools have done very well by young academies. I established the first early ones in the 1980s.

When we introduced the National Curriculum in the 1980s my permanent secretary Sidibe, "You cannot instruct skills to follow it and you cannot tell them to do it but you can make suggestions." This is because schools have been run by boards, local authorities, multi-Academy trust. Those powers, Liz Truss, they are being transferred to the Department and the Secretary of State. Giving powers I never had and never existed. When there is huge change like that with no checks and balances, there is usually consultation and there should be out there has not been any consultation on this.

I do not believe this measure was in the manifesto of the Labour Party but it is a major constitutional change and that is why in fact I think we have got to think very carefully about it. The schools I promoted do not follow a National Curriculum. What they do, a lot of 14-year-olds, in the first week, they are spending two days a week, they are spending two days a week learning how to use tools and machinery with their hands, or going to the computer room to get data skills or going to the design studio in order to improve communication about laser printers, 3D printers, the greatest invention since the 19th century.

They are doing that and not following the National Curriculum. They have got their own curriculum and they are very successful. If we have to follow the National Curriculum, we would have to become bog standard comprehensives and that is not acceptable. And so I am going to ask the government to think again about this. When you have such a huge constitutional change as that, there is usually consultation. People are asked about it. There has been no consultation at all on this enormous change of power and so there should certainly be consultation.

I am reasonably confident the government will be sympathetic because we are exempt at the moment from the gold curriculum or the National Curriculum. When students start at 14, and most of them do, they spend two days a week in a workshop learning to control tools and machines and some then go and do, as I have already said, data skills or This is not going to be allowed, if this bill goes through, as it is. I do have some optimism, if I may say so, I do know that the Secretary of State herself has visited one of the best UTC's in Durham, one of the best in the north-east of England.

The Minister has visited the Aston UTC. The head of the Aston UTC was actually taught by the Minister and she inspired him to go into education. It was a very moving meeting. What was also interesting was that she found she was given a knighthood by the school. Although the school concentrates on the motor industry, introduced auto Matt Reed. They were able to give her an eye test. -- Introduced optometry. We now have some other students who want to do that.

What I'm saying to the Minister is that there should be flexibility and we have exemption from the National Curriculum and we had exemption from the Gove curriculum. I very much hope she will be able to ensure that we will have that. She won't remember, she wasn't in the House when it happened. In the last Conservative government they brought in a bill which allows them to give huge powers to the Department of education and there was an unusual reliance, Lord Storey, Lord Judge who headed the crossbenches and they defeated the bill.

This is the Department of employment, education, trying to do it in a different way. I think that in fact I'm optimistic, in fact that the government will realise that the exemptions that have been enjoyed in the past will have to be enjoyed in the future.

**** Possible New Speaker ****

So much to say, so little time to say it. I welcome this bill and many of these measures, but I do think that there is plenty of scope for that there is plenty of scope for strengthening and improvement. I'm strengthening and improvement. I'm very much looking forward to hearing the two maiden speeches. Although my main interest is in part one. I want to emphasise the interrelated nature to emphasise the interrelated nature In order to attend, attain and In order to attend, attain and thrive, at a school, child unease to feel safe, secure, well supported and with good mental health and emotional well-being.

Despite having the word well-being in the bill's title, in my view legislation currently lacks measures, that will improve the mental health and well- being of children. It is of real concern of that according to the latest piece of data, the lowest level of well-being in Europe -- PISA. The link between school PISA. The link between school absences and poor mental health. There is also growing recognition of the gap in a mental health support for children and young who need a greater level of support than is currently available in a school mental health teams, that do not require, or aren't eligible for specialist treatment, from the cams.

I intend to press and to rectify this gap based on my current Private Members' Bill, requiring a suitable health professional in all schools, primary and secondary -- CAMHS. I strongly support the introduction of a national well-being measurement program, for children, throughout England and I would like to pay

13:04

Lord Arbuthnot of Edrom (Conservative)

- -

tribute, both to Be Well and others for their work in this area. Data on children's well-being and mental children's well-being and mental , across the NHS, schools and local authorities. We should take the opportunity to introduce a national well-being measurement, to focus well-being measurement, to focus efforts and provide measurable standards, for which we can mark progress. This will give all children a voice, and the issues of the matter to their well-being, allow regular tracking of national allow regular tracking of national progress, support detailed cross agency service planning at local level and provide any evidence of what works, to improve well-being.

It will also provide a framework, to understand and enhance the bill's impact. Without this we will never

13:05

Baroness Tyler of Enfield (Liberal Democrat)

- -

impact. Without this we will never

13:05

Lord Arbuthnot of Edrom (Conservative)

- -

move forward. There is more to do to strengthen the voice of the child, throughout this bill. And ensure their wishes and feelings are known and fed into decisions about them.

13:05

Baroness Tyler of Enfield (Liberal Democrat)

- -

And like the noble Lord, Lord Bichard, as he reminded us, serious case reviews have repeatedly shown to lack information sharing, record-keeping and conflicting information systems have resulted in a missed opportunities to identify and protect children from serious harm. The worst cases hit headlines have been so harrowing and heartbreaking. Having a unique consistent identifier for individual consistent identifier for individual children will allow professionals working with information easily and prevent children from falling through the gaps. I welcome its inclusion in clause 4, but can I ask the Minister if she will commit to the full implementation of a single unique to, by the next election and if so can she confirm the use of the NHS number.

Early intervention plays a vital role in providing support to Children and Young Persons Act and giving them the help they need to thrive, before problems escalate. Families reach crisis point. I do intend to bring forward some amendments, in this area. Could I end by asking the Minister what assessment the department has made, of the impact of reductions in early intervention funding and the rising demand for child protection service and placement. There were so many other areas I wanted to talk about, particularly children in care, excessive profiteering, the national carer's leave, etc., etc., etc..

Time precludes me, but I will Time precludes me, but I will certainly be returning to these issues. issues.

13:06

Baroness Morris of Yardley (Labour)

- -

I want to restrict my comments to those clauses in the bill, on schools. We are entering our third decade of discussing the structure of schools in England. Interesting though that may be, it is not been though that may be, it is not been the easiest of discussions. There has been a lot of peaceable changes to government bills that been completely withdrawn on the subject, because of differences of opinions, within the Conservative party. Throughout all that time teachers are managed, they have managed to keep the school system going.

And raise standards. I hope most of all that this can be a turning point, when we put behind is this a debate on the structure of schools and begin to focus on what makes the difference and that is what happens in the classroom. We have got to learn from those decades of discussion and years of change and without doubt there are more schools than there were before. Without doubt, the growth, the birth and growth of academies have contributed to that. Academies have brought something new to the system.

As a disrupter. They brought outside expertise and that it wasn't always easy to get into schools and they brought in energy and they have helped to raise standards. But there is no evidence that I can find that shows that they should be the universal model that is only within that model that excellence can be achieved. There is often a lack of generosity of spirit of acknowledging that that excellence, that innovation, that improvement exists in state schools as well. Academies do not have a monopoly of excellence, nor innovation, nor of turning around failing schools.

So my conclusion is that both types of school should be allowed to flourish, as part of a strong school flourish, as part of a strong school system. And if you want a choice of governance, that is what it is about. If you want to leave the partnership of the local authority and the partnership schools, if you want to take on those extra responsibilities choose to be an academy, but if you want to retain that relationship with the local authority and that local funding of schools, choose to be a maintained school.

Quite frankly policymakers should be able to learn to live with that, rather than offering bribes or incentive to change. If we can live with that, we can live with that choice and focus on other things, I think most schools will improve. If we want every school to be a good school, we have not only got to make sure that as policymakers we give them each school the best possible chance of succeeding, but we've got to make sure that they don't achieve this, by behaving in a way that makes it more difficult for other schools are to succeed.

So we need a policy framework for individual schools to succeed and do we need a policy framework that determines how schools relate to the wider school system. It is not a market that should govern whether schools succeed or not it should be the strength of that partnership and the acknowledgement of the school system. So I welcome parts of the bill that make that more likely to happen. So I welcome coordinated admissions. I welcome the power of local authorities to direct academies and to accept particular individual children, often in tragic circumstances and I welcome the removal of the ability of academies to set their own admission numbers.

Not because I want to take away the freedoms, but because those can be exercised in a way that makes it impossible for the school down the road to flourish. That can't be road to flourish. That can't be right. I welcome the National Curriculum as well. Not because I want to tie the hands of teachers but because I have never understood why it is a privilege afforded to academies and not maintain schools. It is a national curriculum, the clue is in the title.

When I look back through all of my years of politics and education I can't remember a time when flexibility The National Curriculum. I can't remember a time. I think if the Minister in replying could reassure us that there is a National Curriculum and there are exceptions, I think it would put a lot of minds at rest. But the decisions should centre in terms of the National Curriculum on the needs of the child. Not the status of the school. Because if a child has the need to do something other than the National Curriculum, in the maintained sector, why on earth should they sector, why on earth should they have that freedom in the same way as have that freedom in the same way as an academy, I hope this bill gives us a strong framework for strong schools, within a strong school system.

system.

13:11

Lord Aberdare (Crossbench)

- -

I support much of this bill, it is recent issues about the schools part of the bill. We likely emphasise the need for a broad and emphasise the need for a broad and balanced curriculum. We also need a broad education policy. It is clearly important to ensure that every school meet certain minimum standards. The report of the Education for 1116 Year Olds Committee which I said speaks positively of the mandatory National Curriculum that ensures a common entitlement for all pupils. But at the same time there needs to be scope for teachers to bring their own passions and selections into their teaching if they are to inspire pupils with a love of learning in the spirit of discovery and joy that all too seems lacking.

Many of us will recall teachers who made the most positive impact of our own learning. I was lucky enough to be taught by three remarkable classics teachers from whom I gained and have retained an enduring love of classical languages, art and civilisation. Which affect our lives in so many ways. I continue to attempt that on Saturdays. I also learnt that after the most inspiring teachers, those who seem most constrained within services or teaching them. The pendulum seems to me to be swinging too far towards the fixed minimum standards and the weight of expanding teaching.

I worry that this bill may take it even further in this direction by opposing a degree of rigidity and uniformity, well beyond the requirements of a entitlement for all pupils. For example by imposing a standard curriculum on all schools, reducing or removing academic freedoms and through the proposed restrictions and required qualifications and payment arrangements for teachers. The education committee also highlighted the lack of balance between academic and technical or vocational subjects in the current curriculum.

Again, the bill looks as though it may exacerbate this. Skills base subjects require greater flexibility, flexibility in the curriculum, in methods of assessment and in the teaching skills and experience required. Examples of successful skills which pursue different approaches to teaching, to learning. Such as the ex-P trust who schools teach the curriculum through expedition-based projects. And another trust which has outdoor learning at the centre of its curriculum. Other similar examples include a specialist movement and art schools, as we have heard University technical colleges providing a more work focused a balance between academic knowledge and marketable job related skills.

And it is a pity that too many schools don't recognise apprenticeships as an equally positive destination as higher education. So, I should be anxious to ensure that the bill, when it leaves that this House allows sufficient flexibility for schools to provide relevant knowledge and skills for all peoples, whatever their talents and aspirations and also to attract a wider range of people to become inspiring and memorable teachers, across the curriculum and beyond. I think through this bill we should be aiming for a system that is not one sizes.

13:14

Baroness Morgan of Cotes (Non-affiliated)

- -

It is a pleasure to speak in this debate on such important topics and I declare my interest as chair of the national growth and enterprise company to stop it is a great pleasure to follow the noble Lord for his comments, I read, but also all those speakers. I will undoubtedly start with clauses 47 and clauses 50, in relation to academies. I entirely agree with the sentiments, expressed by both the noble Lady, Baroness Morris and the noble Lord, Lord Blunkett and also my namesake, Baroness Morgan who exhorted us to remember the actually what we should be looking for, in our schools is a debate about quality and rigour and standards.

I think we're going to have a good debate in this House, I think your Lordship's House, with the expertise here, is going to help to improve the bill and ask the great questions of the government to both academies and maintain schools. Based on my experience, one of the challenges of maintaining two systems is that both in relation to funding, but also in in relation to funding, but also in What will explore the particles 50 if academies nation is not the answer to situations then what is? What is best for school improvement? Which has been the holy grid of governments over decades and actually going to be achieved, who does that most effectively? As the noble Lord has just said, we should want freedoms, we should on the National Curriculum to be perhaps a minimum standard but I think as we also heard, there are a number of specialist schools who feel very strongly that actually the National Curriculum is not right for them and of course as the noble lady, the Minister said at the begin we have this curriculum review at the moment and I think we are all, as we heard earlier on the former education secretaries and the Ministers talking about what goes on in the classroom but even more we love talking about what is happening in the curriculum.

Unfortunately we all have views on that. We wait therefore for the coming review with great interest. I think that will be relevant actually in terms of the curriculum that we want all of our schools to be following. In relation to specialist schools I think I and a number of the noble Lord have written to various specialist school providers -- written to by various specialist school providers who have said in relation to the UTCs they offer, in offering choice the schools bring relevance to education to thousands more students than we would otherwise have seen this with.

It is offering breadth and depth in a way that would not otherwise be available to learners in this country. Moving on given the time available, in relation to schools inspections I would very much like to explore the continuing role of the Independent schools Inspectorate having had recent experience of them where they have failed to interrogate properly the governance of a school. I think governance is often under looked when debating education. It is hugely important and I do wonder whether perhaps the time has come, whether it is to work more closely with Ofsted or even to merge with them and perhaps we will debate that.

In relation to home education, I do broadly support and in fact I really do support the provisions in this bill. I think should allow more when we were in government in relation to knowing exactly which children are home educated and who has chosen to opt out of going into the school system. Have heard of the tragic case that the noble Lady Baroness Shephard talked about in Norfolk and sadly there will be others as well. And of course the difficulty but this will be difficult example particularly in some religious schools meaning that actually the option of reform is not taken when it should be.

And so I really do welcome the government proposals. In relation to well-being I notice the noble Baronesses back in her seat. We have worked together on the Online Safety Act well and one of the danger she outline to our children's wellbeing is no doubt the online internet. I remain slightly unconvinced by the banning of phones in schools. I think there is guidance available. I think schools can do it but I think they need to be absent willing to listen to the evidence and ability will bring to this debate.

Honestly I think if we feel that strongly about it that we need to ban a lot of apps on smartphones for under 16's which luckily my son is 17 so I will not have any opposition at home. But I do think one of the great challenges in relation to teachers and safety in the classrooms and I would be interested to hear the noble Lord's opinions on this is misogyny. Much of it feels online and I think -- fuelled online and I think the limit to exposing them to artisan phones is very important there.

I think we will have a good set of debates which I hope the Minister will welcome.

13:19

Baroness Longfield (Labour)

- -

It is a huge pleasure to take part in this important debate today and I draw attention to my interest in the register. All of us in this chamber want the children in our country to succeed but I think we also know that many will not do so without extra help. If we are in any doubt about that we should look at what has happened in recent years since the pandemic and during the pandemic. Where it was revealed that systems consistently failed vulnerable children.

And I have been arguing for decades we need to be making bold reform from the top to the bottom and we need to close those gaps in systems that have lent away and continue to lead away from vulnerable children and put those children at the very centre of our systems. Protecting them from harm of losing their life chances. This bill is a commitment. I think and an opportunity to do just that. The measures to improve our safety and our education systems are very welcome.

I really welcome the conversations we have already started in this chamber today. About the importance of putting children and children's outcomes at the centre of these debates. Not the structures, those are all means to an end that we need to make work. It has to be about the children's outcomes. A good education of course is crucial foundation for children. But we do know hundreds of thousands of children are missing school either through poor attendance or because they are being homeschooled.

Elective home education. I had thousands of parents telling me actually they feel pushed out, their children are pushed out and ignored by a system. They are left with no other options to home educate. Despite often not feeling they have often well equipped to do so. We also know children who have been taken out of school delivery so harm, the harms they are coming to are not seen. And there are children who are not in school and go off the radar fall into the hands of those who want to groom and exploit them.

I strongly welcome the new register of children in schools and the new powers for local authorities. I also welcome measures in this bill support councils to provide better improved early support for families and which publications work together better. To protect and support children. I know that is something them as of this House will have been talking about for a long time. And with that early intervention and support for families being very important too. And the single unique identifier for children gives an opportunity again to see that through.

We need to see better investment in early intervention and prevention. That is also absolutely critical, critically important as part of this, these reforms. But while the ambitions of the bill absolutely clear there will be things that we all want to discuss as we have already heard today. And that will be strengthening the sections will stop some of the things that I am keen to talk more about, a greater focus in the early years that would strengthen and drive a move to prevention.

The government's commitment to universal breakfast clubs is essential and very very welcome. Let us capitalise on and make sure food in those practice clubs is nourishing -- breakfast clubs is nourishing and healthy given the important widescale obesity crisis. Similarly I welcome measures to require local authorities to offer family group decision-making. I think we could sharp -- sharpen up on that and particularly look at increasing the chances of reducing the number of children going into care in this way.

I also support calls for the bill to include measures of well- being to provide strong evidence base for current and future policies. Finally as Children's Commissioner's -- Children's Commissioner, I call for the removal of the recent chastisement of physical punishment and I continue to support that. The things in the change that has happened in Wales, in Scotland and in Ireland and the world has not fallen in. So it is probably time we caught up. Most of our children are happy and have opportunities to thrive in their childhood but a significant number or not.

Must be ambitious but those children too. This bill gives a welcome opportunity to do exactly that.

**** Possible New Speaker ****

It gives me profound humility and sincere gratitude that I rise to make my Maiden speech in your

13:24

Lord Mohammed of Tinsley (Liberal Democrat)

- -

make my Maiden speech in your Lordships' House. Never did I imagine a child born in Kashmir to parents of a humble farming background that I would stand here amongst you not as an observer but as an equal. Entrusted with responsibilities to speak up for communities like the ones that raised me. I arrived in the United Kingdom in 1977 at the age of four with my mother. To join our family in Sheffield. A proud community, who are in material wealth but rich in spirit.

And the contrast could not have been greater are the clear ice cold streams of the valleys of Kashmir to the steel of the lower Don Valley. It was here I learned resilience, solidarity and the values of opportunity. My Lords, my journey has not followed the traditional path but one is a member of this House expected. My father grew up on a small piece of land with his siblings. They all lived a simple, fragile house -- lived in a simple, fragile house made of mud and straw, rock and water.

Life was harsh. Often food was consisting of a chapati while they harvest the wheat by hand. In the searing midday sun. It was gruelling. However when opportunity arose to work in British Steel industry he grafted. Bringing with him dreams for a better life for the generations to come. The steel Mills of Sheffield gave my family hope. But the decline in the 1980s took much of that security away. Like many of us my father lost his job.

Like many others were relied upon the state support. I grew up receiving free school meals and free clothing from Sheffield City Council at a time when we were led by a very useful leader -- youthful leader. I emphasise the word useful because he was known as David Blunkett. I wonder what happened to him my Lords. Although I excelled at school particularly in mathematics, family necessities meant at the age of 16 I entered the world of work through the youth training scheme YTS as it was known.

Earning £27.50 per week and working a 40 hour week. Unloading lorries at the Sheffield Co-op superstore in Hillsborough. It was a tough start but without, not without its blessings. I was supported by my manager who gave me Wednesdays off, not to go and watch my beloved Sheffield Wednesday but to attend college to do my A-levels. This small act of faith helped secure a place for me at Sheffield University to study business as a mature student. I was the first in my family to go to university.

After graduating I dedicated myself to youth workers in the city of Sheffield. Supporting young people like me who needed a second chance. That passion led me to be elected to Sheffield City Council in 2004. Followed by a spell in European Parliamentary champion young people, women's rights, human rights and international development. I see my arrival as a mark of this House is enduring commitment to represent all walks of life. To recognise the importance of lived experiences alongside legal academic and business expertise.

I also served as a Magistrate in Sheffield and I cannot resist sharing with your Lordships moment from our very first day of the Sheffield bench. I arrived early but I was mistakenly directed through the public entrance. And I spent an anxious 10 minutes or so mingling only with defendants who were due to appear before me. Before I saw an eagle eyed receptionist had seen the error and swiftly moved me to an appropriate floor. I am pleased to report no such confusion accompanied by day here in this House, my first day here in this House.

Thank you to the exceptional support from the team, the clerks, the doorkeeper's, this acuity staff, the police officers, the catering staff, the wonderful attendance of the library are my supporters, the noble friends Baroness Benjamin and Lord Alan Mallon. Turning to the important business for us today, the children and well-being bill for like the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill. I wish to speak on the issue of home education. During my time as a youth worker I worked with many post-16 needs. These are young people in employment -- not in employment, education or training.

I often encountered those who had been educated at home who suffered disrupted schooling. Without structure and support and oversight these young people can easily slip through the net, falling far behind their peers and missing opportunities to enable them to thrive. This is why I welcome the provisions in this bill for local authorities to maintain contact with home educated children. Not as a heavy-handed intrusion but as is vital as a safeguard to ensure no young person is left behind. Supporting young people is not merely a moral imperative, it is in our national investment.

When we help young people realise their potential we strengthen the fabric of our society is for generations to come. I will always think I have achieved everything venison to my achieved everything venison to my parents, the highness of the parents, the highness of the strangers who believed in me and the kindness afforded by this great country full but is now my privilege to give back, to save your Lordships to give back, to save your Lordships with the same spirit of duty and with the same spirit of duty and

13:30

Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat)

- -

It is a truly with joy and pleasure to follow my noble friends maiden speech, Lord Mohammed of Tinsley. Someone who I have known for over half a century and who I am proud not just to call a political colleague but a personal friend. After similar laws, it is not long that Lord Blunkett and I found ourselves in agreement. In fact it usually signals that something truly extraordinary has happened in Sheffield. I say this to my noble friends, you have really raised the bar onto coming together on your first speech, so I look forward to you solving the Ukraine crisis in your second.

I met my noble friend back in the early 2,000 when he was standing for what can only be described and I think I'm being generous here as they are no hope council seat. I was dispatched to give a bit of moral boosting, which is always a delicate task when you know full well that you are likely to become a distant runner-up. Even The assistance and most of all his principles that have stayed with him throughout his remarkable career. As it turned out our political journeys have continued in tandem.

He was eventually elected to the Council of Broomhill, the same ward I represented and later he served as a vital member of my cabinet in Sheffield, claiming on political sides of the University technical College, please to say that was during our administration. When he was in my cabinet he was always driven by a fierce commitment to tackling a quality, endlessly constructive and an immensely valued colleague. Now my noble friends journey from unloading lorries at 27... £27.50 a week, which I point out that we now have within your Lordships' House our own resident youth worker.

I'm sure we can use at our disposal if we require his diversionary tactics and services. He did also represent Yorkshire in the European Parliament and now today's red benches. It reminds us My Lords of the very best of Britain, a country where opportunity, public service and someone determined to take something, public determination to take someone from the YTS scheme to the House of Lords. If there ever was a voice needed in this chamber to speak for youth, for fairness and for equality of opportunity and with that no-nonsense straight talking Sheffield spirit.

For one I am glad Sheffield spirit. For one I am glad he sits behind me, beside me. I'm used to heckling. I wish him well in his endeavours. I'm sure he is going to add to our work here in this Parliament. Turning to this bill before us today, I want to talk about the provisions of that address the issue of legal and registered the issue of legal and registered schools. A liberal society can and must accommodate a wide range of educational settings, including independent schools, properly regulated home education, as well of course state schools.

However, in accommodating such education, the wishes of parents and religious groups need to be balanced against the rights of the child. I therefore broadly welcomed the measures within the bill, that are aimed at ensuring all children can have their right to broad education adequately protected. Although no precise figures are known for the number of children currently in registered schools. The former chief inspector of Stead, estimated it was likely to be in the tens of thousands -- OFSTED. She described conditions in some, "You wouldn't want to put a dog in, let alone a child.

" Earlier this year a report from the Jewish policy research Institute found that over 6,600 children in ultra- Orthodox Jewish communities are not attending a registered school. Suggesting many are being sent to unregistered faith schools, which represent the same pattern, in other religious faith groups. These are concerning figures, given the repeated findings that many unregistered religious schools unregistered religious schools failed to deliver tuition in a subject outside of a religious instruction. Denying students skills, vital to a successful and fulfilling life.

With some peoples even left unable to read and write in English. Moreover, the existence of unregistered school poses a significant safeguarding risk. Evidence has documented children are being taught in deplorable conditions, alongside instances of physical and sexual abuse and an alarming presence of a safeguarding procedures. This kind of religious education offered, in the settings, typically lacks a broad and balanced perspective on a range of beliefs. Instead, intends to indoctrinate children and young people with a narrow religious worldview.

These are limited perspectives undermined the ability for pupils to engage with communities outside of those in which they are being educated and an important aspect of life in modern Britain. I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the work of the National Secular Society and I raise, I raised my interest is in the register, which was one of the first organisations to raise awareness of the plight of pupils, languishing in such schools. Every child, irrespective of their parents religious outlook and decide deserves access to a safe and deserves access to a safe and learning outlook.

Which fosters respect for diversity beliefs. Every child, regardless of the background should have their independent right to be safe, abroad and education respected. This bill removes the existing presumption that a new school automatically be an academy. This change means that the faith- based schools were not necessarily be subject to the 50% cap that limits religious election in a newly established faith-based preschools and admission arrangements was not a measure introduced to promote diversity, inclusion and fairness. It is my sincere hope that this House will ensure that the bill, intended to eliminate barriers to educational opportunities does not inadvertently create new barriers in the form of more faith schools applying 100% religious selection.

Such an outcome would undermine the quality and freedoms in the choice of families within communities do not share the same religious beliefs, as at the school.

**** Possible New Speaker ****

I would like to congratulate Lord

13:38

Lord Hampton (Crossbench)

- -

**** Possible New Speaker ****

I would like to congratulate Lord Mohammed of Tinsley on his excellent and inspiring maiden speech and greatly look forward to Lord greatly look forward to Lord Biggar's in a second. I declare my interest as a teacher at an academy in Hackney. An unpaid trustee of the elephant group charity, and can ship care of between 13-year-olds, parent of two teenagers. I'm also a hereditary peer and this could well be my last major piece of legislation in your Lordships' House.

As you might say, I'm quite vested in this bill. What abilities, 137 pages, 67 clauses and forming us to talk about it. As everyone has said it is a bill of two halves. Well-being is many things to like. A lot of amendments, but basically there is a lot to like about it. Sadly it misses out on the defence of reasonable punishment. What better place to put it in then a bill that talks about children's wellbeing. I believe the evidence, from Wales is pretty conclusive on that part.

But, to describe the school's part as a curative egg, if I were the curate, I would just eat the toes. Head teachers should be there less people to make decisions over the schools. Whether they are academies, or edtech. The bill doesn't deal with the lack of respect of the parents, for schools. It's a decreasing innovation. This bill has taken away the autonomy and entrepreneurial spirit that has made outstanding academies flourish. Such as the UTC's are ready mentioned, providing tactical technical education, alongside industry.

To get students into skilled work. The school where I teach, a community academy, where students can choose public speaking, film and film and media and yoga, among other mainstream subjects. How these trailblazing schools going to continue to innovate, if they have to slavishly follow the rigid and dare I say it rather uninspiring a National Curriculum. I know that charities like tender are worried about the lack of a national P SH, PHSE strategy. We wait to see what PHSE strategy.

We wait to see what the review has to say about that. As far as we go about school uniform, My Lords. Lord Addington will be pleased to know that in our school you can buy in almost a new blazer for a tenner. That could potentially last a child their entire school career. The average markup on school uniforms is a 7%, according to the school were Association. The school uniform Sports Kit As Well. Then a School Sports Ship Is Considerably Cheaper Than a Premiership Football Shirt that doesn't have to be changed once a year.

All have an away shirt, as well. I told a 14- year-old girl who was pregnant and you would have never have known it, because of the blazer. Children, especially girls, change shape throughout their school time, something a blazer hides very effectively. School uniforms can also be used in stead of suits for children to go to university interviews. There by driving up interviews. There by driving up social mobility. We are going to be very busy at committee stage, I am afraid, you haven't heard the last of me.

13:41

Lord Layard (Labour)

- -

Child well-being is in the title of this bill. And so it should be. Obviously children's wellbeing matters but it is also the Becks predictor of how happy an adult will be in the subsequent life. Predicting it far better than the qualifications which they obtain. Yet, the only outcome of education already measure is those qualifications. What you measure becomes what you treasure. Exam results have become the only touchstone of the school success which is a catastrophe. And that is only one way to change which is of course to measure well-being as well, to put something else into the balance.

And that is what happens in many countries, tapas and the Netherlands, in South Australia and in England, it happens in Manchester and in Hampshire. And the system is quite simple. The government decides a questionnaire and holds it on the central platform. It arranges once a year for the students, in the school to complete the questionnaire, it takes about 20 minutes or so. The results are then analysed centrally on the findings and then sent back, from the centre to the school.

From this the school gets a vital information about how well exactly it is doing and progressing with the well-being of its students. It is left up to the school how it uses this information. Participation in the survey is voluntary, for both the school and for the individual and the individual responses are totally confidential, to the individual. This is a change which could change what happens in our schools. It could give them the incentive to do more for the well- being of their children and the justification which actually most of them want, for paying more attention to it.

There is no conflict between doing more for well-being and doing more for well-being and improving academic performance. All the evidence shows the extra time devoted to life skills improves not only well-being, but also improves academic performance. Certainly doesn't no harm. Our children are subject now to all kinds of new pressures. Their mental health has suffered. We have got to do something about well-being. That is the reason why a cross-party group of us will be moving an amendment. That the government should introduce a measurement system of the type that I've been describing.

It is of course, it is true that it is possible for a school, or schools to measure well-being already. It is a huge effort to make that happen. If we want this to become the norm, we have got to make it as easy as possible. That is what we heard from our children and that is what the system I have described would do. system I have described would do. Finally, let me turn to our greatest education floor, many don't get education beyond 17.

The number of apprenticeships for young people has fallen and more than halved in the last 10 years. The Government needs to take on, for these young people the same obligation that it takes on for young people wanted to go to university. Maybe ensuring there are enough places for qualified applicants. In 2009 at the premiership at put that obligation on the statute book. It was repealed the coalition government and I believe it should be reinstated, in

**** Possible New Speaker ****

Let me begin with the customary round of thanks which I give the wholehearted. Black Rod, the goalkeepers, all of the administrative and service staff I have encountered in this House and have encountered in this House and the extraordinarily helpful and patient and Mr Thomas Burgess

13:46

Lord Biggar (Conservative)

- -

patient and Mr Thomas Burgess brought me a glass of water without my asking for it. Thank you very much. Let me thank you too my noble friend Lord Griffiths and the Right Reverend and noble Lord Harrison, long-term rentals of mine and he introduced me to this House -- mentors of mine and who introduced me to this House. I assure the noble Lord Harris will forgive me for having chosen to sit on the Conservative benches. When I tell you I am a retired Professor of Christian ethics I imagine some of your Lordships may matter to yourselves that is nice but what is he doing here? If so I would synth sympathise -- sympathise especially because intellectuals of art and humanity are best kept clear of politics especially considering we tend to suffer from the virus of wishful thinking.

Being conservative however I have long sought to educate my moral ideals with reality. In 1998 the Belfast Good Friday agreement I ran a conference in Oxford under the title bearing the past after civil conflict. At the begin of the Conference started to beginning to talk -- started to begin to talk about healing without embarrassment before... Twice in prisons by the commonest authorities of East Germany because of a political distance. -- Dissidents. Who said I now live in the same street as the man who informed of me, I did not know him then and I certainly do not want to know him now.

So what exactly do you mean by healing? And reconciliation? I look forward to being further educated by the array of practical experience this House being an elected this House being an elected contains. -- Unelected contains. In previous years I have been preoccupied with colonial history for political reasons. As an Anglo Scot I had a dog in the fight that was the 2014 referendum of Scottish independent. Although an instinct of opponent I felt morally obliged to consider nationalist arguments.

One argument I came across was this. Britain equals empire equals evil. Therefore Scots should the collar, disintegrate the UK and sail off into a bright new shiny new future. But having read British imperial history for nigh on 20 years I knew the equation empire equals evil is not historically or morally tenable. I call to facts, the British Empire spent the second half of its life suppressing slavery from Brazil to New Zealand. Second from May 1944 12 months the Empire offered the genocidal racist Nazi regime in Berlin the only military opposition with the sole exception of Greece.

Empire cannot be identified with evil. Nevertheless 45% of Scots voted to disintegrate the UK in 2014. Which according to our representative at the UN would have delighted the Kremlin. And damaged the international standing of this country much more than Brexit ever could. And the 45% voted in spite being told by the London Treasury they would each be £500 poorer for it. So if the noble Lord was a member of this House which of course he was not but if he were, I would say to him no my noble Lord stupid it is not just the economy.

It is also the story, the national story is politically potent and a false story is politically disruptive. Which brings me very briefly to clause 47 of the bill we are considering. Teachers unions are clamouring for decolonisation to be embedded in the curriculum. And the decolonisation does involve the story of 400 years of Britain's imperial engagement was nothing but a litany of racism and slavery. If the curriculum were to be colonised and if the state were to imposed -- de colonised and of the state were to impose that curriculum on academies, academies can no longer serve as centres of intellectual diversity and dissidents.

My Lord, the national story matters politically. And having liberal schools that are free to challenge dominant ideologies and to tell the whole story, not just the lamentable failures and wrongs but also the heroic achievements of our country that is important too. And I hope

**** Possible New Speaker ****

the government will agree. My Lords, what a privilege and

13:52

Lord Hannan of Kingsclere (Conservative)

- -

**** Possible New Speaker ****

My Lords, what a privilege and what a pleasure to follow to such outstanding maiden speeches. One outstanding maiden speeches. One from my former Europe colleague and one from my former college chaplain. And pray to the slight absorption we have as teenagers, even then I was able to recognise the qualities that also enriched by other councillors. His humility, his intellectual curiosity and above all that generosity of spirit. The largeness of soul. That makes him consider other arguments.

And other people on He had such intellect and curiosity in front of -- inside of him. When I first met him he looked like any other scruffy academic and he dressed like any other academic and I would have been surprised had he told me that out of him was going to come this extraordinary ethical balance sheet of colonialism. And I think it surprised a lot of his colleagues. And because he brought to bear that imperious of them and that calm collectivist that should be valued in all academic settings it triggered in us in this deranged culture war, intricate a very negative reaction.

His book was initially denied by publisher and then it was howled down by people who blatantly had not read it because all he was doing to try was to be -- was trying to be balanced. In which I'm sure he will be in all debates here. I think the way he does this and the reason he can be so indifferent to public opinion is because he has a genuine faith in something bigger than public opinion. And not everyone has the gift of religious faith but all of us I hope can at least exercise the self-respect that allows us to be honest and true to ourselves in difficult times.

I want to begin by thanking very sincerely all of the former Secretaries of State for education, not just for having been Secretaries of State but on both sides were having presided over a rise in standards which up until recently would have been unimaginable. And that happened I think the reason is that we have hinted at and the noble Baroness Morris has hinted at. It was the beginning of diversity and freedom in education that allowed people to pilot new ideas to trial new schemes and this raged -- this raised standards across the board.

She is right to say was not just on academies. It was something that was happening in maintained schools as well. I think one could make a case this was the single greatest achievement of the last Labour government in terms of the impact it had on people's lives. And a merit of, a measure of its merit is the new government adopted it and claimed it as its own and people talk about Cameron and Gove reforms when they were really reforms by -- pioneered by some of the memos opposite.

-- Reforms pioneered by some of the members opposite. We had at the beginning a measure of how they worked because the reforms in England drove English schools up, PISA and indeed all of the other measures that were international measures on that success but there was a controlling that experiment. Because in Scotland and in Wales there were not such reforms. And those schools more or less stayed where they were all slightly drifted down. -- Or slightly drifted down in academic rankings.

I hope we can all agree these were successful reforms. I think the Ministers from what they have been saying today and in previous debates, do not want to undo the successful parts of them. There is one very specific thing I then want to raise. It was the point flagged by my noble friend, the Lord Baker of Dorking. It is the future of the 44 University technical colleges. These are the schools that are set up by local businesses and by universities to fill identified skills gaps.

They have an extraordinary success rate by any definition. 86% of them are rated good or excellent by Ofsted. And there is demand for more of them. Nuance of plant -- new ones are planned in Southampton and Doncaster because there is local demand. And what is not always appreciated is because these schools start typically with children of 13 or 14 by a lot of the academic measures at this age these children are not at the top of their cohort. A lot of the secondary schools really fight to hang onto the kids who are going to push up their standards.

And children who have perhaps not done well sitting in rows and having a classroom-based education suddenly come into their own. And what is really extraordinary about these schools is not they turn out Grange engineers which you kind of expect. But how much better these children then stop performing in the English A-levels and such because they are responding to a different kind of teaching. They are being cheated -- treated as if they were already in the workforce, divided into groups and sent to do tasks and they flourish.

It is not for everyone but they flourish. This is the real point about the diversity that comes from the freedom to apply the curriculum flexibly or to derogate from parts of it. I think people sometime have the idea these technical schools are teaching metalwork. Yes they do teach metalwork but they also teach 3D printing, advanced electronics, procurement, logistics. The only way they can fit all of that into the school day is by not having as much of that day taken up with modern languages, history, music and so on.

There are plenty of other options for children who want a humanities- based educational stop and I do hope we can retain a measure of diversity. I was very encouraged to hear the Lord Blunkett say we should be prepared to amend the bill to put these things fall beyond doubt as has happened on the question of teachers pay and some of the other scare stories about the bill. I was privileged once to spend a day at not quite a UTC but it is almost the same thing, a technical Academy which is housed in one of Richard Arkwright's earliest bills.

The children as they come in walked past one of his turbines it has now been purposed -- repurposed to be a turbine once again. Arkwright and those who made the Industrial Revolution were not academic hits. Almost all of them dropped out of education in their early or mid teens because they wanted to get teens because they wanted to get thing -- wanted to get into the workshop and start tinkering. Where is the next Richard Arkwright? Let's is the next Richard Arkwright? Let's make sure they are capable of getting the kind of education that will help them and will help our employers going forward.

13:59

Baroness Grey-Thompson (Crossbench)

- -

I would like to draw your attention to my Register of Interests and President of the LGA and chair of the Duke of Edinburgh awards and a trustee of the foundation of light. I would like to thank Alfie, the allowance -- alliance for inclusive education but also their commitment to improving education for disabled children. The bill before us today presents a valuable opportunity to enhance the well-being of our children and ensure no child falls through the gaps.

Sadly too many do. However there are many missed opportunities in this bill and there is an ongoing failure to address deep-rooted barriers for disabled children. If the government is serious about getting disabled people into work, education is a key part of that. In 2024, 55% of children cited school failings as a reason for starting homeschooling. It works for many. But it should not be a last resort due to incorrect provision or used in a way that further segregates disabled children. The National Audit Office revealed funding for SEND support has risen by 58% over the past decade.

To £10.7 billion. It is not sustainable and it is in need of urgent reform. In the same report published in October 2024 the Gulf education to become more inclusive. Parents have to be expert in every part of the disabled child lives. I was looking -- lucky. Errors in mainstream junior school when I was paralysed and my parents used the words of the noble Lady and cited my right to be educated in the best environment for me, they threatened to sue the Secretary of state for Wales in my right to go to mainstream school.

It was a long battle and my parents one. I received an amazing education my life would be very different now if it were not for my parents. What has changed in the last four decades will not enough. Parents of disabled children are still fighting and I receive emails about disabled children not receiving education they need numeracy. One parent wrote to me and said the provision they are being offered is not physically accessible for their child. And with X blew their child from the beginning of their education and will negatively impact them for the rest of their lives.

I will forward the details to the Minister for top schools committee have little incentive to support disabled people. There is little lived experience in the system. I spoke to a teacher who became a wheelchair user and I was told they knew they only kept their job because they had been at the school along they knew the law. This is not acceptable. They provide a positive role model for all again the government should commit to commuting -- including more disabled people such as Systematic enabling and others that push calls out of school.

I welcome breakfast clubs, they must be accessible, ensuring transport arrangements enable them to get there. Feeding children are so important but the social connections matter too. There are other gaps in the bill, I look forward to hearing from Lord Moynihan later, we need a fit healthy nation we need to think about physical activity in a different way, throughout the whole day. Physical literacy and its measure should be an integral part of the day. There's so much research on the benefits of activity and well-being at all well.

A child that is active is happier, more resilient and more trusting of others. Getting 23, 24, 41,000 a few hours of PE were taught in schools, compared to nearly a decade ago. We need to establish a more holistic approach to improving the health and well- being of our child. Hockey player has done great work on uniforms that children went to school and how it can increase engagement for girls. In Wales we have the well-being and future generations act, a lens we can use to assess the impact of the legislation on children.

Is it not time that we consider that as well. I look forward to the committee stages.

**** Possible New Speaker ****

It is not about me, it is about our principals, teachers, support

14:03

Lord Harris of Peckham (Conservative)

- -

our principals, teachers, support staff and children. We have got a many academy groups that get fantastic results and also good GCSE results. They are unwell, because they have the freedom to run, like a school should be run. Since the 6 November, last year. We have had 11 schools outstanding. The rule is now if you are good, you cannot be outstanding and three, the second time. Two good and on Friday we got another outstanding which I can't mention and yesterday we had another outstanding.

The record is pretty good, over 85% and we are grateful. I would like to talk about one school in Peckham. Peckham has got a school, in a 75 years and has never been outstanding. It takes in the bottom 3% of the country. On the last inspection, two weeks ago, four weeks ago, it was awarded outstanding by Ofsted. The inspector said, a quick the education provided by this school is transformative for many of its pupils. A large proportion joint after year seven, with many coming from all Sts.

Pupils go on to achieve above the national average by year 11. This is because of the movement they have in the curriculum. " There is no point if somebody comes from abroad. That is one thing I think we should look at. I hope we look at it to see if we are going to stick to a standard for everything. Also the government said that failing schools, why are we giving them another two years? They have been probably failing for a couple of years ago to have another couple of years are being failing.

We took over one in Croydon, five years it was failing. Five years it was failing under another group and academy group. It was taken off them, we got it and within two years and two terms that school was turned to an outstanding school. We are changing the lives of so many children. So why do we need to wait? Failing schools with two years to try to approval me have a good academy groups who can handle an improvement quickly.

Also, we talk about training, untrained teachers. We have a 190 teachers start with us, underqualified. Within a year, 95% of them are qualified. They don't only want for our academy, they go to other academies all over the country. We want to continue doing this, good teachers help pupils get good results. I hear that many secondary state schools only get A-level. Of course that they do they are left with only 25, 26% of schools as against nearly 8% of academies.

The only way we can get them under free school a failing school. Now they are coming up level and I think we need more of these failing schools, 22, 23, 24%. We can give the children a better education. This is about giving children a better education, a better chance in life and a better opportunity. One of the things we've got is the primary schools. There is quite a lot of primary schools that are failing. We've got 23, 21 why do we have to wait two years for those children at a young age before a failing primary school, to go to a proper school.

A school like an academy. Lots of very good groups. Why do we have to. We shouldn't, we should get on, make sure they get an education. The other thing, two areas. The government are pleased that they could put more money into retention. The UN I bill that has come out, which is costing us, the Academy group 1.5 more than we paid. We have got to find the funding for 1.5 more. They are not giving us at the same about of funding.

The 2.8, they are only finding 1.3. This is going to be difficult to find, not only for our schools but every school in the country. So we have got to look at what is happening. We have got to make sure we are doing better. We have got to make sure the government look at things. I'm sure they will. I'm a person who wants to work together to give the children the best education possible. I believe a child only get one chance at a good education.

We want to give it, all of us who want to give it and we can make it happen.

14:09

Baroness Blackstone (Labour)

- -

I welcome this bill as an important beginning to remedying a lumber of long-standing problems in childcare. The safeguarding of children and the operation of homeschooling and in the registration of illegal schools. The strengthening of Ofsted powers, in this area. The failure of the previous government to tackle these issues and the decision to withdraw legislation and it is disappointing. I don't propose today to cover the second part of the bill concerning academies. How they compare with local authority schools, in the way that their run.

I will say that local authorities should be able to establish new maintained schools where they can make a well argued case, particularly on demographic grounds. They are in a position to assess this and to identify appropriate funds where new schools can be established. Some areas where the population is declining, they may need to merge schools to create a new institution, were existing schools are now unviable. Such decisions offer local authorities. Turning to part one of the bill, the fact that many children in care suffer terribly is a scar on our society.

As the Minister set out, children in care are likely to have the worst outcomes, in terms of educational performance, mental health, being sexually abused and committing crimes. Serious underfunding and lack of coherent national structures, to support them Their neglect. It is horrifying. The number of children in care has increased by 28% since 2010. It reflects badly on the opposition when they were in government. Better prevention is urgent to stop this figure increasing. I therefore welcome the bills, the bills decision to, for families, on aiming to keep families together but ensuring children are safe.

For example through a statutory decision-making as well as the statutory requirement for multi agency and child protection teams. Whether the bill goes far enough in providing support for families, before the problems escalate out of control. The provision of family hubs, regarded by many experts as of the most effective approach. These hubs become vulnerable, because of the funding crisis in local government, leaving them to focus on statutory obligations. I would like to ask the Minister that the government might strengthen the bill by improving special duties on local authorities to provide family centre support accessible to all families in need.

Such a legal opportunity must be accompanied by another targeted funding to create a national network, instead of the current postcode lottery. Another concern is just how deprived young people are, who have been in the care system, when they leave it. Recent figures show that almost 40% are not in education, training or employment, between the ages of 19 to 21, as are the speakers of mention. This is three times more than the age group as a whole. Around half of them have a mental health problems.

Around 1/3 of them become homeless, within two years of become homeless, within two years of leaving care. The bill does go some way to address their problems by, for example dis-applying the intentionally homeless classification and extending the duties of local to, in relation to staying close. The publication of information about the services that care leavers of course is vital. The Education Select Committee were right. In their recent report they recommend a national offer of support and patchwork system.

When the Minister tell the House whether the bill might be amended to include this. Could she also comment on what, if any approach has been made to further education sectors, on the admission of care leavers to universities and colleges. What additional help they could provide to improve the retention of such students, by helping them to cope students, by helping them to cope with the extra demands of studying at this level.

14:13

Lord Young of Cookham (Conservative)

- -

When I was in the other place I went around a primary school in Andover whose catchment area was from a less known part of the town. A teacher there, in the year one had been there for 20 years and she was also a local GP. She told me that within a few weeks of the beginning of term, she could tell which children were likely to end up in trouble. There are many other primary school teachers like her. Early intervention for children who need support is crucial.

And that brings me to SEND. The system is failing too many children, too many parents and too many other children in the class. One statistic makes the case. Councils one just 1.3% of appeals, in 2023 /24. So to underpin what is in the bill, we will need a comprehensive SEND reform plan, to give the children the legal support, the support, when they need it, without all the current delays. Because of some of the problems with SEND, many families are home educating.

Along with Lord Hamilton, I sit on the social mobility Select Committee. Last week, we heard from witnesses that within the cohort of children educated at home, are a few for whom it was not an act of choice, but rather a decision of last resort. In many cases as a result of bullying, sometimes after encouragement to deregister. Some of those children may then fall through the various safety nets. I agree with my noble friend, Baroness Morgan that we do need to have a look at this bill.

And make sure we look after the children. Section 30 requires local authorities concerned for certain children to be withdrawn from school. Mainly children who have protection concerns. I'm a vice-chairman of the APPG on young carers, there is concern that some young carers are being withdrawn from school, in order to increase at That means they could have even more responsibility foisted on them. It also cuts them off and support they were getting at school. I think an amendment that -- to that bit of the bill might be needed.

A quick word on fostering. A long time ago my wife and I were registered foster parents. I welcome what is in the bill and I also welcome what was in the Spring Statement. The McAllister review which has already been referred to describes foster carers as the bedrock of the social care system. But in the last five years we have lost over 5,000 foster carers and there are more than 5,000 extra children in care. Living with a family as opposed to being in a children's home can provide a child a more stable environment as the child grows up.

It also does so at 1/4 of the cost. So I asked the Minister, what is being done to encourage more foster carers to come forward. And also to address the long delays in the assessment process. On smartphones along with other noble Lords I join the webinar held by the exchange where we listened to the principle of John Wallace Academy. He had tried what many schools have tried, namely a ban on the use of phones during lessons with progressive penalties for breach.

He said that had not simply worked with one third of lessons continuing to be disrupted by smartphones. So 18 months ago the school went smartphone free. Truancy was reduced, attendance was increased, there were fewer incidences of bullying both in school and out of school. That dropped by 80%, children were polite to each other and politer to teachers and teacher well-being improved. Children had actually started playing chess during the lunch hour. We do need a serious debate about smartphones led by the noble Baroness, Baroness Kidron.

The Minister has difficult choices to make, the universities are in trouble as our overseas students fall away, primary and secondary have got underfunded paying increases even before the pay review. Difficult choices have to be made. I end where I started. All the evidence I have seen is that it is in investment in early years under five provision, children centres, family hubs, Sure Start that has the greatest return. Not just for the greatest return. Not just for the child but for society as a whole.

I hope the government will safeguard that investment.

14:18

The Lord Bishop of Derby (Bishops)

- -

My Lords, I welcome this bill and the government commitment to improving children's lives and their outcomes. My faith teaches me in this work we echo Jesus commitment. Place children at the heart of God's transforming work. Of such is the kingdom of God. As Nelson Mandela said, there can be no keener revelation of a society's soul than the way it treats its children. I declare an interest as the chair of the Board of Trustees at the children's Society.

I would like to register my support for the cause -- calls for there to be better datasharing to protect children, including without from faith communities. -- With and from faith communities. As we await the review of the child protection strategy, I await the answers on the cost of children's uniforms and the provision of healthy, accessible free school breakfasts. As poverty is a primary factory -- factor in the well-being of children I am pleased to hear Lord Bird who cannot be in his place today will be tabling an amendment introducing a new clause to set out a new duty on government.

To set targets for the reduction of child poverty for --. I add my voice to the support of our well-being, our voice coalition. -- Our well-being our voice coalition. They call for the establishment of a national well-being program. To offer demonstrably evidenced based data to shape and track holistic interventions to improve childhood well-being. We know schools across England are already engaged and excellent with antipoverty, antiracist, anti-neglect wait for example. And some as we have heard are already benefiting from collecting and monitoring well-being data.

To inform their interventions. I trust we can agree there is value in equipping schools with a comprehensive picture of the well- being of their students. I therefore seek reassurance from the Minister this recommendation will be reviewed. I welcome the intention of the bill to cap profits of children's homes providers and independent fostering agencies. I ask this oversight might be extended to the secure state. Such as secure schools and secured children's homes for their profit does not replace the best interests of some of our most vulnerable children.

I want to commend the intention of my Right Reverend friend, the Bishop of Lincoln who cannot be in his place today. To support the traveller movements proposal to mandate reporting and recording of racist incidents in school settings. And any subsequent actions taken. My Lords, I would like to suggest children themselves are best placed to advise us of the challenges they face and what would make life better. And I conclude therefore with the words of a care experienced young period -- young person as quoted in the love matters report from the Archbishop's Families and Households Commission published in 2023.

They said, " $$CAPITALISEGive us the right support and help us to help others and we will surprise you and help you do better the children and."

14:22

Lord Hill of Oareford (Conservative)

- -

15 years ago almost to the day I had the privilege of standing at the Dispatch Box to introduce the academies bill. I thought it might be helpful therefore as we think about this new bill and what it will mean for academies in the future if I just set out what it was we were trying to achieve back in 2010. I think first and that was very much our starting point we aimed to build on the foundations that had been laid by the previous government.

We could not have been clearer at the time. About the debt we owed to the noble Lord, Lord Adonis and indeed to many other noble Lords we have heard of today reaching all the way back in the apostolic succession, my noble friend Lord Baker of Dorking. The second thing we were trying to do was to extend professional independence. And to give schools more freedom to run their affairs as they thought best. And third we were seeking to increase parental choice.

My Lords, for at least 20 years successive governments have sought to defend and to extend academy freedoms. Freedoms that were entrenched in what was supposed to be legally binding funding agreements. This bill by contrast breaks that consensus. It sets out explicitly to reduce academy freedoms. To reduce professional independence with less freedom over hiring staff, less freedom over the curriculum, less freedom for popular schools to expand. The question I think that begs Lords, is why? What is the reason for this change of direction? Are there some particular problems which have arisen from academy freedoms which the government quite properly -- probably needs to fix.

For example has the ability of academies to take on non-QTS teachers led to a drop in standards? Has the freedom for academies not to have to follow the National Curriculum led to worse results? Have popular academies which have chosen to increase their numbers let down their pupils in some way? If they have I feel sure the government would have told us. Perhaps I missed it but I have not seen any explanation as to what the problem is these measures seek to address.

Until we do here a convincing explanation about what the problems were and how removing these freedoms will put them right, doubt will remain as to what the motivation for these changes really is. After all who do they benefit? They certainly do not benefit Head Teachers of academies. I do not think they benefit parents. They do not seem to benefit the teachers in academies. I cannot see how they benefit children. There is only one group I can see who will be pleased by these changes my Lords, and that is unions.

And there perhaps we find some of the rationale for these changes. Surely my Lords, we would all agree the only way to get lasting improvement in any public service is to increase professional independence. But this bill sets out deliberately to reduce professional independence. Through the constraints on the expansion of popular schools, it will reduce parental choice. It breaks the consensus that many people in this House work -- worked so hard and carefully to build up. After all the progress we have made in schools in England over the last 20 years, this bill sadly points is not forwards but backwards.

-- Points us not forwards but backwards.

**** Possible New Speaker ****

I declare an interest as deputy

14:27

Baroness Wolf of Dulwich (Crossbench)

- -

**** Possible New Speaker ****

I declare an interest as deputy chair of Governors at King's College London which is a high achieving 16 to 19 academy. We are very grateful to this and previous governments for their support. And also very aware the school's existence and that of other university led schools was made possible by academy freedoms. So in that context while welcoming much of this bill, I would like to echo concerns raised by other noble Lords about reducing these freedoms. Academies funding agreements already give the Secretary of State major powers and so I do not really understand why for example the Secretary of State needs major new statutory powers to intervene just because they are satisfied the proprietor of an academy is not likely to breach a relevant duty at some unspecified time in the future.

So I hope very much we will return to this in-depth. At Committee stage. And get some clear understanding of why these powers are being introduced. My main concern today is with the bill's emphasis on ensuring teachers are all qualified. Which of course does not in any way refer to the subject matter of their teaching and the mastery of that but whether they have teaching convocations. -- Qualifications. The vast majority of teachers including infant academies and indeed the independent sector do have teaching qualifications.

These play a very useful role in preparing people to teach effectively in many contexts. But I have spent a large part of my life working on skills and vocational education and for vocational and technical subjects I am concerned this emphasis, this direction of travel is misguided and potentially harmful. Technical and vocational subjects are obviously best taught by professionals with first-hand knowledge of their occupation. And extensive practical experience. Other decades I have seen many, many professionals craftspeople, experienced practitioners inspire young people and teach them effectively not just particular skills but by transforming their attitude to learning and their futures.

Some people like that will in midlife switch to full-time teaching and to teacher qualification typically in further education. But many will teach part-time and for a short period. And we really need more of these people. The more the labour market demands their skills, the harder and harder it becomes full schools or colleges to hire expert practitioners. And the more important it becomes to find ways of encouraging them to do some teaching. Not by placing barriers between them and other classrooms.

This is not as Lord Aberdare reminded us a chamber full of people who believe all education should involve highly academic non- practical subjects, indeed rather the opposite. I know many noble Lords will have memories as I do of past educational reforms which set out to make more varied technical out to make more varied technical Drafting in a qualified sport teachers are qualified biology teachers are qualified biology 14 years ago I published a review 14 years ago I published a review of vocational education for the government and at that point, under the 2002 education at schools could bring in experts.

One of my recommendations Reza sadly as follows. The government should clarify and evaluate relating to the teaching of vocational colleges. Many schools it is impossible to bring professionals and to demonstrate part of the course, requiring without requiring the presence of additional salary teaching. In recent decades, academy teaching. In recent decades, academy freedoms have made far more schools freedoms have made far more schools aware of their freedoms. I really worry that we are pushing in the wrong direction on this one.

14:32

Lord Nash (Conservative)

- -

I declare an interest as the chair of future academies. I strongly support the child protection measures in the first part of the bill and I commend the government for bringing these forward. The addition to this part, I would like to see, is to ban social media in clause 16. No measure could enhance our children's wellbeing more than this. Turning to part two, home education, and support the measures in the bill about this, however I have one major.

10 to 15 years ago there were probably 20 to 30,000 children home educated. Many by parents perfectly capable of doing so. The so-called home education lobby. These are not the children or parents I am concerned about. Now, I believe, probably up to another 100,000 children are being apparently educated at home. Many of whom who are not receiving any suitable education, or any education, at all. And some who are involved in gangs and crime. Particularly for children not known to social services, how was a local authority to know they are not receiving a suitable education, without a right of inspection.

I'm sure LAs would not use this power very often. Many would-be staff to do so. I think they should have it and if an LA was to sample 100 children and find that the vast majority were not receiving a suitable education it would throw the whole issue into high-profile. Whilst she had previously been under a CPP, she does not appear to have been at the time of moving into home education. So far as it is concerned it does seem most odd that the Labour Party, having invented the Academy would be building on the CTG reforms introduced by Lord Baker.

They now seem intent on this. This, despite the obvious success of the Academy method, and increasing performance of our schools. Rather the Labour Party should be taking the credit it deserved. It was a brilliant piece of innovation. Why then are they determined to deny future children the benefits that academy freedoms have bought. There are quite a few failing schools which are academies. But then 82% attend academies and MATs have taken on many failing schools, often quite recently.

It can take many years to turn some of the schools around. I'm quite sure that the rise will be quite sure that the rise will be ineffective. It is obvious from attempts from the past to bring consultancy to turning round schools. They just don't work. They have no skin in the game, they are temporary and no direct real authority. The complete opposite to a MATs. I'm concerned about the clauses and amount micromanaging powers to the centre. Overriding funding agreements which are contracts.

Never looking for a government and the ability for LAs to change hands and of course the sledgehammer Henry VIII clauses. These come with the weak cannibalisation intervention powers are now adopted. It is pretty clear that if the government passes these, they are setting themselves up for endless litigation and judicial reviews. Good luck with that. The government has rust out this legislation without any material consultation, directly with teachers and school leaders, whom I sense no desire for it.

I remember our Prime Minister saying, outside number 10 that he was going to tread lightly on our lives. This part of the bill is not going to tread lightly on the lives of working people, in academies who are already substantially disturbed by having to balance their budgets and I believe it is going to work against the interests of children and parents. I think the government would be well advised to scrap it and start again. If not, there will clearly be many amendments to the bill, put forward in the spirit, I'm sure the genuine attempt to improve it.

When I took the Children and Families Act your Lordships' House, we made over 170 amendments, including many I accepted from those and now the government benches. I hope the government will take a similar constructive approach.

14:36

Lord Crisp (Crossbench)

- -

I will speak briefly and positively about good home education. And I have to say that I disagree with some of the assumptions of the noble Lord, Lord Nash has just made about the majority of people being home educated and I will come to that at the moment. I absolutely understand, like all other noble Lords support the government's ambition to protect children and deal with the very real problems of non-attendance, disappeared, abused children and children at risk. However these tensions as presented in this bill will risk damaging the education of thousands of children who are currently receiving good home education.

There are two distinct populations here. There are those children at risk do need protection and those that are being a lovely care for and educated by the parents, whose efforts deserve parents, whose efforts deserve support. The bill treats both groups in the same way. Several parents of the second group said to me, we are already too often treated with expressed suspicion as if we are criminals, even before the provisions in this bill are introduced. More than 110,000 children being home educated and about 60% of special needs.

Many are diagnosed or non-diagnosed autistic or have learning disabilities or difficulties. More than half the increase in recent years is from children who have been enrolled in schools which have failed and these children I'm particularly concerned with. The parents have acted in their children's best interests, often at a personal cost, time, money and financially and many are indeed on benefits. They provide educational services but joint sessions with other children, support for museums and other programs at the run programs for home educated children.

The register home educated children. The register may be a useful tool but my concern is with the detail of the register. It's requirements for information are intrusive, unnecessary and create bureaucracy for authorities as well as parents. All changes must be reported within 15 days. There are also some other unintended consequences of this bill. Similar demands for information being put on a person providing activities deemed to be educational. Some organisations such as Cubs, Brownies and sports clubs, which are do of course provide elements of education, based on taking home educated children, because of these sorts of remarks.

Education is not defined in the bill, nor is leisure time. A great deal of this and other matters are left to the discretion of education authorities as the sole arbiters of these and other matters, including most importantly what is in the best interests of the child. There is plenty of evidence from the past that some but not all authorities have been very heavy- handed, sometimes hostile to parents who are at home educating, treating them with deep suspicion. Home education parents need to know what they can expect from authorities in support.

I will tabling amendments, something very simple to address some of the detail on the register and to redress the balance by introducing a code of practice for authorities, what they should be doing to support home education. There are many good skills but also to many which are overwhelmed and feel the most vulnerable children. Time an improvement in resources they may be able to offer the sort of flexibility and personalised approach that many of these children need. My Lords, in the meantime, we need to offer the sort of positive effective home education, in many cases delivering what the schools can't.

Many are in effect helping authorities with their responsibilities for special educational needs. A system which is failing. We need to recognise that many parents are doing a very good job and playing a very good role in doing this. We need to recognise that there are two distinct populations here and an appropriate legislative framework to deal with both. both.

14:41

Lord Watson of Invergowrie (Labour)

- -

I very much welcome this bill and if I had to remind you of that Frank Sinatra song about New York, so good they named it twice. The bill has in effect been named twice, it includes two good parts, who may have been bills that arise. There are so many elements I want to comment on, I feel like I may not have time to name check some of them. Keeping families and children save should not even need to be stated as aims, but sadly of course they do.

Multiagency protection teams are having to prevent children falling between the cracks in terms of the support they require. There does need to be clarity between Children In Need and child protection. The bill has much to say, children in care, leaving care and in kinship care. It has less to say on the value of fostering and nothing to value of fostering and nothing to say on the list? I don't understand. Children in foster carers should have the same support until the age of 25 as of those in the educational care.

The bill doesn't provide that. -- Residential care. Registered children's homes are most welcome. Such things as unregistered children homes at all. As is the provision for the excessive profits of private children's homes to be capped. Moving on to schools, I welcome having enshrined in law the benefits of universal free school breakfast. However, there needs to be a guarantee that these can effectively reach and support the most vulnerable pupils, including those of a special educational needs and disabilities, access to a nutritious part of the day can be life changing.

On many occasions in your Lordship's House, and advocated the register of children, not in school. Fundamentally this is a safeguarding issue and it is one that conservative measures with whom I faced at the dispatch box consistently are supported outside the noble Lord and Lord Berridge. I'm sure he does, from what he said. It has been left to a Labour government to take it forward. Academies have caused much frothing of the mouth at the benches opposite. Of course I understand why Tories want to defend their record on education.

That record is patchy. Library briefing reported in 2023 the data from Ofsted does not show better ratings than other types of school and on academic results, the picture is mixed. The percentage of pupils achieving the expected record was slightly higher in maintained schools at the MATs. I'm concerned that the opposition to clause 46 on the requirement for qualified teacher status. When I take my car to the garage for an MOT, I go to a restaurant for dinner or I go to the dentist with toothache, I don't expect to be treated by an enthusiastic amateur.

Whilst I very much respect the noble Baroness and I accept what she said, I do not believe that parents expected that, when they send their children to school. They will be dealt with by anything other than a professional. Guidance of providing a whole school approach to mental health was introduced in 2015. That gunners was updated six years later. It lacks the statutory backing needed to make it effective. I hope they will introduce an amendment that will I regret the bill has nothing to say on the inequality of selection.

The 11+ has been abolished in most parts of the UK, for over 50 years, yet still inflicted upon more than 100,010-year-olds, in England each year. Three quarters of whom are branded as failures, at that age, with effects on their self-esteem, mental health and perhaps also their life chances. I'm not calling for the banning of grammar schools. They should be banned from selecting pupils. I have no time to speak pupils. I have no time to speak about school assemblies, ECs or the 50% cap on a new face schools.

Lord 50% cap on a new face schools. Lord Aberdare. I look forward to committee stage which will certainly be interesting and I hope productive. productive.

14:45

Lord Agnew of Oulton (Conservative)

- -

Speaker 32 is already quite challenging to find something new to say to start my sympathy goes out to

14:46

Baroness Garden of Frognal (Liberal Democrat)

- -

be the end of this debate. I'm sure there be tolerant if they find themselves repeating something that has already been said. I work in the has already been said. I work in the maiden speech is today of honourable friend, Lord Mohammed and Lord Biggar, they will bring great talent and skills and we should look forward to hearing them speak in future. The heady days of coalition government I was at the education whip to Lord Hill, Lord Nash and Lord Agnew and I'm delighted to see Lord Agnew and I'm delighted to see I didn't manage to put them all off I didn't manage to put them all off A bill calling itself the children's wellbeing should be supported by all of us but there are elements in this my Lords which the government has put in which are going to be contentious.

I mentioned at the start, clause 4, the consistent identifier. I have to say I thought this was proposed many years ago. The simplest solution obviously seemed to be the NHS number which would be given to every child at their birth. It would follow them to school and enable local authorities to be mindful of children who disappeared off the radar. The lack of a consistent identifier across services impedes joint up and responsive support and makes it much harder to match record and share information confidentially and safeguard children who are in touch with multiple services.

It is possible migrant or asylum or traveller children may not have that number. They jolly well should do. They will have as much need as anyone else to healthcare and education, to give them a better start in life than they had at the beginning. My noble friend will be talking about different areas of concern but I should like to raise the national pay awards which will be extended to academies. Many of whom have different pay and conditions. We argue strongly teachers in further education colleges should have at least as good pay and conditions as schools.

FE teachers have demanding schedules, wide-ranging response villages and for too long they have been underpaid. And indeed overlooked as they appear to be in this bill. We would like to see stronger partnerships between colleges and schools because many 14 to 16-year-olds move to colleges if they find schools do not meet their needs and their choice of study is better catered for in colleges. Some have been excluded from schools, summer home educated but find colleges can enhance their schooling and there are any number of Special educational needs and disability's and those have become disengaged from mainstream education who find their way to college.

FE is always welcome and can I entirely endorse Baroness Wolf in saying the shortage of practitioners of practical subjects means insisting they have a teaching qualification will be incredibly negative as a thing to do. It will make recruitment even more difficult in subjects where we really need those skills to be taught in subjects which benefit the economy. But what steps will the government take to improve pay and conditions for further education staff? And can the Minister ensure us FE staff will not have to have a teaching convocation -- teaching qualification if their specialist subject is one that is under represented or there is a great need for their skills? My honourable friend talk more about home education and breakfast clubs and school uniforms and like it has been said these provisions are good in parts but it is difficult to do this debate without the curriculum review.

Our House of Lords committee in the last session thought the current curriculum is not fit for purpose and did not prepare young people for life and work in state schools have often given a music, dance, drama the creative arts which are great contributed to the economy as well as great factors for children's wellbeing. What is being done to provide all children with the possibility of excelling at something? Especially those for whom the academic curriculum is challenging and a constant source of failure. This is a wide-ranging bill with all of the expertise in the debate today and I'm sure we will give it a thorough going over and it leaves us in better shape we hope because our children deserve no less.

14:49

Lord Agnew of Oulton (Conservative)

- -

I refer to my interest in the register particularly as the founder and chairman of the Academy trust of 11,000 children and 18 schools. In the short time I have available I want to focus on one specific area in The Schools Bill. Part one I broadly agree with the move to improve scrutiny of home education. It has become a very worrying issue. Many parents clearly are unable to educate their children and taking them out of school and we cannot do anything about it.

The government is to be commended for its actions and we will no doubt get into the details of the bill as it progresses. For the schools part will plunge the education system back into the badlands of 20 years ago before the previously the government had the courage to begin the reforms we saw. I will focus on one area, the watering down of academies Asian and failing schools. The proposals and ambiguity of whether failing schools should be Academy eyes will provide a get out of jail free card for the incompetent of those schools.

Organisations right from the head down schools do not fail because of the teachers but because of the people who manage them. And have taken on at least nine failing schools in the last 12 years, I can say very simply in an academy trust or the one I found it we employ hundreds of teachers who today do a magnificent job under good leadership. Previously the schools have failing children on an industrial scale. -- Are failing children on an industrial scale. The line shut out by the government in the defence of this retreat is....

65 people brandishing clipboards to run around the country offering advice. If only the government would listen to those who have tried this before they would save time and money and most importantly not repeat something that has failed comprehensively in the past. Under my stewardship in the DfE we had a national leaders of education, doesn't it sound wonderful? Rise teams are just a reheated version. NL East and work -- NL East did not work because there is a line of accountability and the failing school to act on the advice they are given.

More often than not implementing the advice will require strong leadership. Such as changing staff structures or bringing budget into balance. Do not just take my word for it in 1998 the last Labour government did something. The beacon schools initiative. The names could have a better don't they. In this case the laudable aim was to get high performing schools to share best practice to raise standards. It was abandoned in August It was abandoned in August 2005. Why? Because there was a lack of clear evidence the initiative actually improved weaker schools.

So my question to the Minister is what has changed 20 years on? Certainly human nature has not changed. If weak managers can avoid it through procrastination without penalty that is what they can do. -- That is what they will do. It is the damning clear sort of consequences that will drive change in failing schools. It is important to say I do not tolerate failing academies either and many will know they had interviews without coffee with me when I was the Minister.

The current government has not addressed this, it has not even seen fit to appoint an academies Minister, despite the now educating -- them now educating over 70% of secondary children and 40% of primary children. Addressing failure does not need legislation, just a spotlight on these failures and strong calls for accountability. In my home county of Norfolk at least two Academy trusts have just received financial bailouts from the DfE who have, they should have, the requirement for mergers or a clear plan to failing management.

This has not happened. This is where your energy should be directed. A theme I fear we will come across often as we go through this bill. It is that you are essentially condemning children to a failed education. It seems you are not prepared to allow the hard edge of intervention to sweep out mediocrity and failure. These children only get one chance, you are about to impair this child in several thousands of badly run schools. We had from Lord Harries you are simply introducing a two- year delay.

Of course most of these failing schools are in areas of deprivation for the so the communities you claim on your benches to represent will be the ones thrown under the bus. Under ones thrown under the bus. Under senseless ideology. Unless the government starts to listen I expect this bill to face a stormy passage as we pit ideology against the interests of children.

**** Possible New Speaker ****

My Lords, I am pleased to take

**** Possible New Speaker ****

My Lords, I am pleased to take part in this important debate. And draw attention to my interests set

14:54

Baroness Cass (Crossbench)

- -

draw attention to my interests set out in the register for top --. In bringing forward this bill the government is to be commended for its many laudable objectives in strengthening the safeguarding of children, removing barriers to opportunities in schools and improving the safety of the education system. However it seems to me any legislation addressing the subject of safeguarding children and opportunity in safety in schools cannot possibly ignore the impact of digital technology on the lives of children and young people.

Safety and opportunity and indeed risk have to be seen in relation to the contemporary world of 2025 and not the world as it was well over a decade ago. We all appreciate the many benefits the online world can bring to children and young people so we do not need to rehearse these here. However a visit to the NSPCC website visits -- provides a helpful listing of harms children can suffer. It expands beyond the classical for categories of abuse to list 13 types of abuse.

Most of these including cyber bullying, emotional abuse and sexual abuse and exploitation and grooming can be carried out online and indeed during school hours. It is not just deliberate harm that should concern us, that is the tip of the iceberg. There are multiple other risks associated with digital technology that have been discussed in this House. Including adverse learning, attention, sleep, educational attainment and mental health. And addictive apps are a particular problem, especially for boys. My noble friend, Baroness Kidron and I recently hosted a meeting which brought together piers with clinicians and academics in the field of child health.

Among them was senior leaders within the medical community. The group was clear we cannot wait for the evidence to give us all the answers about the adverse of digital technology and how to mitigate them. The evidence we already have coupled with the views of young people, parents and teachers is powerful enough that it would be negligent not to start taking action. The strong sense in the room was this is a public health emergency. We need to be learning through action, studying the approaches that are most impactful in harnessing technology for benefit whilst protecting vulnerable developing minds.

This is not just an issue of whether or not we ban smartphones in schools. There is a wide array of possible actions that can be part of a strategic will to faceted approach to the problem. -- Multifaceted approach to the problem. For example RAC is compulsory in schools yet there is no requirement to teach young people how to manage digital technology that occupies so many hours of their lives. Nor indeed to include appropriate training for the staff who are teaching our infants or older children.

There is insufficient consideration of the impact of loss of safe place spaces which would give children alternative recreational activities to spending time on their digital devices. There is no focus on providing education advice to parents on how to manage access to technology so they can facilitate their children's learning and development. I very much hope the government will be receptive to a range of amendments that will address these deficits in the bill and thus gift our children with a safer and healthier future.

Without such measures we are looking at losing a generation to poorer mental health and to even more young adults being unable to contribute to the workforce. This is not just a moral workforce. This is not just a moral problem but an economic timebomb that we can ill afford. that we can ill afford.

14:58

Lord Frost (Conservative)

- -

My Lords, it is a pleasure and an honour actually to follow the noble Lady, Baroness Cass who has done so much cause for the rights of children and well-being of children in her work. I am afraid I do not think this is a good bill. It probable not surprise colleagues to hear that. I think as of the noble Lord have said it is shot through with the spirit of state knows best, state control, of seeing education as a vehicle for indoctrination and seeing children as a Ward of state rather than as the property of their parents.

And I think the centralisation the bill is going to bring in is going to squeeze out good performance in schools and undo the progress that has been made. Over the last 20 years. Others have said that and I do not want to dwell on that. I want to spend a moment or two speaking about the provisions in the bill for home education which is sections 30 to 35. These are represented as pragmatic changes to the current setup. But actually they are not, they are going to be a very major change to the current home education arrangements and a big change in practice.

To what happens under the current 1996 act. The core provision in the bill is of course a register for children who are being educated at home. So far so good but really there is much more to this register than the words suggest. Those educating at home will have to provide a vast amount of very detailed data. About their children. Set out a great depth in the bill and just to add to it, section 3 of what will be section 496B of the new act says the register may also contain any other information to the local authority considers appropriate.

In other words there is no real limit on it. It also requires data on education providers, that is anybody who provides any sort of teaching to children. Very widely defined. Data on them has to be submitted to the local authority as well. In this I think we are seeing some of the hostility to anybody teaching privately. That we have come across privately. That we have come across This is going to make a huge change. I did not home educate my own children.

I have come across a lot of home education parents in the last few months. Some do so by choice and others to because local schools are failing. Some do it because your children have special needs and others do it because they cannot deal with the environment the local schools provide. I think it is right that parents should be able to look for support and often they do not get it and often they come close to being harassed by local authorities who are completely out of sympathy with home education.

I wonder what the problem is here. In 2023, only 1.4% of home educated children got a school attendance order. With the same year, 10% at state schools were considered to be inadequate or require improvement by Ofsted. Where is the problem in the system? Home education is I think a vital safety valve in a system that is going to become more assured as a result of the bill. It is a safety valve for those who cannot afford increased fees to private education and the last ever York where there is an element of experimentation and freedom in the system.

-- Last area. freedom in the system. -- Last area. I hope we can consider if it is necessary to bring in these huge changes. There is a risk that we regulate it to death. And if that regulate it to death. And if that happens, it will be the parents and children who lose.

15:03

Baroness Wilcox of Newport (Labour)

- -

I declare I am the vice president of the LGA. I think my 35 years of a teacher working in diverse areas such as South London and south Wales gives me insight into this sub-. Despite the differences in the demographic of London and Wales, a golden thread runs through that experience. Teachers arrive at school every day to do the best for pupils in their care and children and young people want to learn and enjoy the school experience. We saw how that was profoundly impacted by the pandemic and the road to recovery continues.

This bill brings important changes that this government want to provide for children and young people. I am pleased the government is acting on a long-standing call by the LGA for councils to have and maintain children not in school registers which is something we almost achieved in Opposition during the passage of the now abandoned Schools Bill. It's a welcome step to locating information sharing and, most importantly, adding to security and safety of the child. It is positive that within the responsibilities of corporate parenting, there is a legal undertaking for local authorities to collaborate with each other up and performing corporate parenting duty.

An important further addition is that councils will have greater powers to direct school admissions and failing schools will not automatically become academies. This bill will legislate to allow councils to open schools again and make academies have reformed pay scales and conditions for teachers which is a long overdue reform of the Academies Act, 2010. As well as being balanced and broadly based, and academies curriculum must also include the National Curriculum and it is intended to apply to the revised curriculum.

That was following the conclusion of the current review. An important safeguarding measure is that parents will lose the automatic right to home educate if they are child is subject to a child protection investigation or plan and the councils will get powers to require school attendance if they find are child's home environment unsuitable or unsafe. The build will make sure teachers and schools are always involved in decisions around safeguarding children in their area. It is often the school environment where issues are picked up firstly and teachers provide much care for those in charge but have not always been included in such decisions.

Education and social care policy and decisions are devolved in Wales but the welfare and safeguarding and protection of children's rights are the key focus of the rights of the Welsh government and saw it as a pro that the discussions are taking place regarding the areas that could apply to the children and young people of Wales. It strengthens existing UK legislation relating to child protection and children not in school and social care in both countries and these will benefit from additional measures and support local authorities and partners to meet safeguarding duties.

The Welsh government has asked certain provisions be applied to Wales in the same way as England and the areas that currently apply include children in secure accommodation and the extension of the offence to cover 16 and 17-year-olds and children not in school and I believe other areas may be included at a later stage and in conclusion this is an innovative bill which allows for the scrutiny that is the hallmark of this chamber. I cope gets on the statute books sooner gets on the statute books sooner rather than later.

We all its to children and young people in every part of nations and regions.

15:07

Lord Carlile of Berriew (Crossbench)

- -

I start by thanking the government for introducing what I call will leave the House as an improved example of vital legislation for children. Every generation owes it to the next to give them better life chances than were experienced by the appearance. Nowhere is this more important in my view that the area of special educational needs legislation and provision. I applaud the excellent speech by Lord Addington earlier in the debate on that issue. The Minister when she was opening this debate cited some excellent reports which have appeared in recent times and I am about to add an additional and I am about to add an additional report launched last week in this building by the foundation with which I have worked for a number of years on issues related to children's justice.

It was a launch that was attended by two government ministers and what it seeks to do is to show how to provide the best life for children with SEND and neurodivergence issues and in many cases this would bring them in front of the criminal justice system. In England and will city percent of children cautioned or sentenced within the youth justice system are from the SEND cohort and I think that is a shocking figure and it is carefully measured. Children with new disabilities enter custody at higher rates from an earlier age and receive longer custodial sentences and are associated with higher rates of reoffending and commit more violent crimes as adults and spend many more years in prison.

That can be resolved by attending to the needs of those children in the education system earlier in their life and keeping them out of criminal justice activity. Each year, over... Each year, over 100,000 children under 18 have encounters with the criminal justice system and some of those are encounters which will scar them for life because the criminal justice system, try as it does, is not always good at dealing with children. This is because of the lack of training and understanding of the issues that are being dealt with.

The proportion of children remanded in custody is at a record high, and the number of sentenced children in custody is now massively low but a ridiculous number remain in custody on remand and do not receive a custodial sentence when they are finally dealt with. Almost all children in the criminal justice system have special educational needs and/or neurodivergence. It exacerbates challenges and communication, social interaction, and makes it difficult for them to lead a good life when they leave custody.

One of the issues is that information is purely shared and I did report Michael Gove was... Lord Gold, was Secretary of State for education on the Edlington case and the details do not matter but what was revealed during the preparation of the report is the communication between statutory agencies for children with SEND and home difficulties while almost non- existent. And so I hope to table amendments in an effort to persuade the government to incorporate some of the forums which are proposed in the report if legislation is needed as part of the bill and de- provisioning schools for well-being generally must include avoiding involvement in the criminal justice

15:11

Baroness Bousted (Labour)

- -

system and we owe it to children system and we owe it to children that somehow we persuade them that living by the rule of law is a component of a full and rewarding component of a full and rewarding Speak at the party opposite claims education was transformed during the period in office and the bill will undo the gains that have been made and in the short time I have available I would like to set the record straight. During that period I was the general secretary of two education unions and from 2017, I was the general secretary of the National education union which represents 500,000 members teachers and support staff and many members have affirmed that these are the professionals that we teach to support children and young people and I commend them today.

Under the party opposite, there was a scandal of what is called the forgotten third, the 16-year-olds who feel to get grade 4 at English and maths and they were denied the help and support they needed under the party opposite to take their place as productive members of society and they were condemned to endless resits of GCSE English and maths with very low pass rates and unable to get an apprenticeship nor access training or learning to turn around their fortunes and they left the most deprived young people stranded.

most deprived young people stranded. As Lord Baker said recently, 750,000 youngsters are now permanently unemployed and that is a disgrace. It is a disgrace which happened under the watch of the party opposite. Money talks. The Institute for Fiscal Studies figures show from 2010- 20, spending per pupil fell by 9% in real terms. That has huge consequences for the education that schools were able to provide an was compounded by a huge rise in child poverty. Shamefully, schools serving deprived to be if he saw the biggest fall in funding of all schools of 14%.

The party opposite professes to care for the most disadvantaged but the practice during this period, reducing the amount of support needed by vulnerable children and young people. Then there is the apparent issue with the fact that all children and young people, but every school they attend should follow a broad and balanced National Curriculum. The current curriculum in England is one of the most narrow in the OECD, both before and after 16. It has been since 2010 a dramatic and worrying decline in the number of children studying arts subjects.

There is a 73% decline in GCS entries for design and technology, 45%, drama, 41%, music. That is why the provision of this bill of a broad and balanced curriculum for all pupils is necessary. It is their entitlement and broad and balanced does not mean the curriculum would be over stacked and it would allow specialism and appropriate choice and this is a welcome measure and then there is the supply problem which has become a crisis perfected by the party opposite and I'd be Cheer off the University College of London Teaching Committee looking after this.

It's shameful that the most deprived children who need to be taught by qualified teachers are most likely to be taught by teachers not qualified in the subject that they are teaching and that is why it is so important that all who teach in our schools have or are working towards qualified teacher status. It is a social justice issue. And, my lords, for a party which reduce spending in schools in such a savage way in real terms over a decade, the idea that they would support the unfilled places throughout the country in order for the people and think to be determined is frankly unbelievable.

How much more taxpayers money would be needed to support this wasteful idea? Surely this is a prime example of an ideology which support structures, not standards. This bill is ambitious, positive for all of our children and young people and it is proportionate and it is necessary and I fully support it and commend it to the House. it to the House.

15:16

Baroness Berridge (Conservative)

- -

This bill contains the first step with possible on the rich and over rich and a bonus. Clause 11 is a good first step as it brings about 1000 vulnerable young people who are deprived of liberty under the jurisdiction of the courts into a statutory framework. They have developed when there is no secure children's home place under section 25 of the Children Act That Is Not 25 of the Children Act That Is Not The Children's Commissioner report into this mix it clear it's not only about looking after children under this regime.

Could the Minister clarify will the inherent jurisdiction still have to be used for those children? And can we have some more details before statutory instruments are laid about what is the definition of relevant accommodation. The under reach. Under clause 32, it seems like a preliminary school attendance order can only be made when it child is under a section 47 children act enquiry. Not a child in need or child protection plan. Could we

Feed Live - Click to view video

Return to start of debate - Return to top of page