Oral Answers to Questions Debate

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Department: Department for Education

Oral Answers to Questions

Clive Efford Excerpts
Monday 25th April 2016

(8 years, 6 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Baroness Morgan of Cotes Portrait Nicky Morgan
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My hon. Friend makes a very important point. Involving parents in governance and really listening to the views of parents are not necessarily the same thing. That is why I want academy boards to appoint parents for their skills and experience, and to set up parent councils or other appropriate arrangements to engage parents meaningfully and to represent their views to governing bodies.

Clive Efford Portrait Clive Efford (Eltham) (Lab)
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Will the Secretary of State confirm that she is rethinking her White Paper in relation to parents, and that she will reconsider whether they should be consulted over the academisation of our schools and their role as school governors?

Baroness Morgan of Cotes Portrait Nicky Morgan
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I do not need to rethink, because we are very clear about the important role that parents play as governors, through parental surveys and through parental engagement. The hon. Gentleman also appears, in the second part of his question, to be fighting a fight that we fought in the Education and Adoption Act 2016, which is now part of the law and which set out the clear role for parents to be involved when a school becomes an academy.