Education and Inspections Bill

This has been a fascinating and enjoyable debate, with pro-Bill speeches from Labour and Conservative Members and some passionate anti-Bill speeches from Labour Members. The number of people wanting to participate in the debate reflects the importance that many Members attach to education. This is a necessary, if rather modest, Bill. It is necessary because although we happily acknowledge that there has been a degree of improvement in standards since 1997, there is still a huge amount to do. It cannot be right that nearly half of 11-year-olds leave primary schools without the necessary skills in reading, writing and maths combined. These children rarely catch up when they go on to secondary school. It cannot be right that despite improvements in GCSE figures, still only 44 per cent. are achieving five or more good GCSEs when English and maths are included, or that the proportion gaining five or more good GCSEs is falling when the core subjects of English, maths, science and a foreign language are included.