The Education Bill is edging closer to becoming law. It was amended at Report stage in the Lords and the provisional date for the third reading is 14 November 2011. Based on proposals in the DfE’s White Paper, The Importance of Teaching, with the higher education funding proposals coming from the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (the one that seems to change its name most frequently). This is the second major legislative of the coalition following last year’s Academies Act 2010. Next year we are promised major reforms to the special needs regime following the Green Paper, Support and Aspiration: a New Approach to Special Educational Needs and Disability – a Consultation (covered in my recent paper at https://www.11kbw.com/articles/docs/EducationgreenpaperTK.pdf).
Some readers may need reminding of the Bill’s main themes:
- targeted free early years care for children under compulsory school age
- changes to school discipline and restrictions on public reporting of allegations against teachers
- abolition of five quangos: the General Teaching Council for England, the Training and Development Agency for Schools, the School Support Staff Negotiating Body, the Qualifications and Curriculum Development Agency and the Young Person’s Learning Agency; the Secretary of State taking over some of their functions
- removal of some duties of governing bodies, local authorities and further education institutions, including the demise of “school improvement partners”
- changes to the arrangements for setting up new schools and academies; amendment of the Academies Act 2010 (already) to make provision for 16 to 19 academies and “alternative provision” academies
- a miscellany of measures on admissions, school meals, composition of governing bodies, school inspections, school finance and permitted charges.
Those thirsting for more detail may quench it at https://www.education.gov.uk/aboutdfe/departmentalinformation/educationbill/a0073748/education-bill and https://services.parliament.uk/bills/2010-11/education.html .
Tags: Education Bill