10 February 2006
The government's gamble to persuade rebel MPs to back its education reforms by offering concessions over admissions procedures and the role of local authorities might still fail, opponents have told Public Finance.
A series of concessions – focused on limiting schools' ability to select pupils – were outlined in a letter from Education Secretary Ruth Kelly to the chair of the Commons education select committee, Barry Sheerman, on February 6.
But Neil Lawson, chair of Compass, the Left-wing pressure group that published the rebel Labour alternative white paper, told PF: 'They're living in cloud-cuckoo-land if they think it'll make a difference. Maybe seven or eight [rebel MPs] will be won over, but it's made the rest of them even firmer.'
Lawson said that the rebels remained unconvinced that the proposals would avoid creating an unhelpful climate of competition in which schools would be compelled to select, by whatever means they could.
Schools minister Jacqui Smith said on February 8 that the government was committed to developing 'a system where the link between poverty and underachievement at school is finally broken and where every child, regardless of background, has the same chance to succeed'.
Kelly's letter explained that the government would make part of its admissions code mandatory and compel all schools to 'act in accordance' with it, rather than simply have 'regard' to it.
The revised Bill would also ban schools from interviewing parents, and give local authorities the right to set up community schools – but only after competition with other providers before an independent adjudicator.
Martin Rogers, co-ordinator of the Local Government Information Unit's education network, said: 'The admissions code cannot spell out every detail of correct local admissions procedure, so it's unclear how it can prevent schools from covertly selecting pupils.'
He added that in some instances trusts would be able to provide additional revenue to schools. Schools in richer areas already benefited from parental donations.
He said that the role of the schools' commissioner – described in the white paper as a broker between potential trusts and schools – should focus on leveraging trust funds towards deprived areas.
'If it's a public service job then it should be about prioritising disadvantaged schools. It should not be introducing additional benefits to schools that are already doing quite nicely, thank you.'
PFfeb2006
