Consideration of the Education and Inspections Bill moved into the next formal stage this week, following the appointment of members to the Standing Committee. The Standing Committee will work through the bill line by line, debating amendments where they have been tabled.

The Committee met for four sessions last week but debated only the first four clauses in full:

• 1. A duty on local education authorities [to be known as ‘local authorities’ once the Bill has become law] to exercise their functions with regard to promoting high standards and promoting the fulfilment by every child who is a registered pupil within the authority of his educational potential

• 2.  A duty on local education authorities to promote diversity of, and parental choice in relation to, primary and secondary schools

• 3. A duty on local education authorities to consider parental representations

• 4. A duty on local education authorities to make arrangements to identify the identities of children in their areas who are of compulsory school age but who are neither registered pupils at a school or being home educated.

The committee began to consider clause 5, which deals with the appointment of School Improvement Partners (SIPs). The CES is concerned to ensure that SIPs are fully aware of the legal differences between voluntary aided schools and community schools, and are sympathetic to the Catholic ethos.

The committee has now adjourned for the Easter recess until Tuesday 18th April. It will meet a further fourteen times by 11th May 2006, when the Bill will move back to the floor of the House of Commons.

The CES is monitoring the amendments which are tabled and the debates in committee closely. Any areas of concern will be raised with officials or subsequently in the legislative process, in the House of Lords.

The CES took the additional step of writing to members of the Standing Committee before the first sitting of the Committee to raise the profile of Catholic education and comment on a small number of early tabled amendments. Nick Gibb MP usefully raised one section of that letter:

“The Catholic Education Service….makes a point that I want to bring to the Committee’s attention….

‘We recognise that there may be merit in drawing together the Every Child Matters principles in the Children Act 2004 and behind this legislation. However, we would like to remind you that section 10(2) of the Children Act omitted to make reference to spiritual well-being. We believe this was a fundamental omission and one which is out of step with both education legislation elsewhere and the reality of the lives of children and young people.’”

We will continue to brief members of the Standing Committee on areas of interest for Catholic education.

Further bulletins about the progress of the Bill will be posted on this website after Easter.