School Admissions Bill

Stephen Doughty Excerpts

Friday 7th November 2014 Commons Chamber

[Stephen Doughty (Cardiff South and Penarth) (Lab/Co-op)]

It is a rare honour and privilege for me to speak from the Dispatch Box. Indeed, it is first time I have had that honour and privilege. I hope that Members, including the hon. Member for Christchurch (Mr Chope) and the Minister, will indulge me if I make any mistakes.

It has been a privilege to listen to the hon. Member for Christchurch—who has a long and distinguished history in the House, and whom I have heard speak on many occasions—and to learn about some interesting and concerning cases and some of the discrepancies that exist in the school admissions system.

The hon. Gentleman also compellingly set out the circumstances that face children and families where a parent has a terminally or seriously disabling illness. I know from my own constituency the impact of such circumstances on many aspects of the lives of families and children. They not only impact on educational provision and travel to school, but many of the young people take on caring responsibilities, which have very significant impacts on their lives.

As many Members on both sides of the House will know, school admissions come up time and again in our constituency surgeries and in our inboxes. The School Standards and Framework Act 1998 remains to this day a signature piece in the last Labour Government’s reform agenda. It enshrined in law a limit of 30 on infant class sizes. Unfortunately, we have seen a 200% rise in the number of infants taught in classes of more than 30 since the formation of this coalition Government and following their decision to relax the rules on infant class sizes.

The legislation we passed in 1998 abolished grant-maintained schools, prohibited the expansion of partial selection and, crucially for this debate, introduced an admissions code and the Office of the Schools Adjudicator. We are proud of having taken that step forward, putting fairness into the system and seeking to ensure that every child got a fair start.

Labour Members welcome the recent decision by Ministers, although late to the party, to allow all schools, including maintained schools, to prioritise admission for children who are eligible for free school meals—those in receipt of the pupil premium. My hon. Friend the Member for Liverpool, West Derby (Stephen Twigg) made the case for that in June 2013, and we have committed to going further, because while we have seen big improvements following the last Labour Government’s reforms, we can be confident that although the letter of the code is enforced, it is not always followed in spirit.

In the last report from the schools adjudicator published last November, Elizabeth Passmore concluded that the system is so complicated that parents may need to study for several years before applying for a case. I therefore ask the Minister what action the Government are taking to address the complications presented by the schools adjudicator?

As I said, we have gone further. The appeals process for academies and free schools is at present too opaque. Many academies will have nothing to fear, but to ensure greater transparency and parity Labour has committed to extending the powers of the local government ombudsman to investigate academies and free schools on admissions, because parents should not have to write to the Secretary of State to complain about the processes of a local school. Under Labour, local authorities will also have the power to direct all schools to admit hard-to-place children, and to ensure that all schools fulfil their commitment to equitable access—both to the letter and the spirit.

I thank the hon. Member for Christchurch (Mr Chope) for bringing forward this Bill and for raising this important issue, and I ask the Minister to respond to the following questions. First, what consultations and discussions have Ministers and officials had with the groups representing children with terminally ill or seriously disabled parents, and with organisations representing children with caring responsibilities? Secondly, during recent revisions of the code undertaken by this Government, what consideration was given to this specific group? Thirdly, are the Government undertaking, or do they plan to undertake, scoping work to determine the feasibility and merits of making the changes suggested by the hon. Gentleman? There are some important questions here, and the hon. Gentleman has raised some important cases, and I am grateful for the fact we have had the time to debate this matter today.