Schools: Exclusions

Debate between Baroness Howells of St Davids and Baroness Evans of Bowes Park

Tuesday 15th December 2015 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Evans of Bowes Park]

I am afraid I will have to write to the noble Lord.

[Baroness Howells of St Davids (Lab)]

My Lords, I would impress upon the Minister that something has to be done. I am often called by parents whose children have been wandering the streets, as when the child is excluded, they are either angry or frustrated and there is often no one to take them home or look after them. Heads of schools should realise that they are in loco parentis and that they ought to ensure the safety of the children. It creates a downward spiral when the adult who is in charge at the time ceases to look after the child in their care. Can the Minister at least try to see how this can be avoided? I spend most of my time reading letters from people whose children have been left wandering, which can cause the prisons to be full of disillusioned children. I would like the Minister’s help with this, and thank the noble Lord for asking the Question.

[Baroness Evans of Bowes Park]

The noble Baroness is absolutely right. As I said previously, school staff have a duty of care to pupils, whether they are at school or at home. Many head teachers do not exclude people even when they legally could, because they understand the home situation. That is why we are also looking to improve alternative provision and other, more local initiatives around family support— to make sure that we can help these young people and that they get out of the cycle that they may be in.

Child Development

Debate between Baroness Howells of St Davids and Baroness Evans of Bowes Park

Wednesday 16th September 2015 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Evans of Bowes Park]

My Lords, there are rules around data sharing that cover this point.

[Baroness Howells of St Davids (Lab)]

Would the Minister also consider extending to foster parents the courtesy shown to looked-after children? My mailbag is full of complaints about how different schools operate the funding allocated to those children. The foster parents themselves are prohibited from asking questions because they could be deregulated from the system. Several foster parents, especially middle-class black women, claim that the schools accuse them of expecting too much from those schools, simply because the children of the parents who are now fostering went to public school. This is jolly unfair, and I ask the Minister to look again at how much information is available to those foster parents.

[Baroness Evans of Bowes Park]

I thank the noble Baroness for raising her concern. I will certainly take it back to the department and raise the issue.