Charities Bill [HL]

I had not intended to take part in this debate but, having listened to those who have contributed, I thought that I should say a few words. For 13 years I was the chairman of the governors of Bedford School. I am not now, and so I am not declaring an interest. The key dimension in an educational establishment of between 600 and 1,200 pupils—whether a boys’ school, a girls’ school, or a mixed school—is that the expertise is in education. There has been much discussion about whether these schools should be involving the local community. Frankly, I think that is   nonsense. It is not using the expertise that lies within   the independent sector. You could argue that independent schools should be involving local schools, particular disadvantaged local schools, or pupils who may wish to follow a particular course which is not on offer within their school, so that those pupils could benefit. You could also argue that traditionally these schools have offered bursaries to relatively poor individuals, because it is seen that those pupils have an aptitude for whatever environments or courses are created in the independent schools. My plea, therefore, is that those who are carrying out this assessment recognise where the expertise lies within the independent sector, for its public benefit element to be applied to other pupils within the environment that they serve, and to forget about the local community.