Education and Inspections Bill

I start by thanking all the Members who contributed to this very lively debate. I am not surprised. As the hon. Member for Bognor Regis and Littlehampton (Mr. Gibb) suggested, education is the passion that brought many of us into politics. This debate has built on the important debate that we had since we published the White Paper and up to the publication of the Bill, a debate that involved parliamentary colleagues. I pay tribute to my hon. Friend the Member for Huddersfield (Mr. Sheerman) and the work of the Education and Skills Committee in taking forward that debate. I pay tribute to other hon. Friends and parliamentary colleagues, as well—even to my hon. Friend the Member for Reading, West (Martin Salter) for his contribution to the debate that we have had since the White Paper. The debate has also included local government, head teachers and school staff, including through their professional associations. The Bill is better for having gone through that process. We want to continue the scrutiny and discussions in Committee, which is why I think that my hon. Friend the Member for Liverpool, Walton (Mr. Kilfoyle) is frankly wrong to ask people to vote against the programme motion, as is the Conservative party. The programme motion sets an end date for consideration of the Bill in Committee. I know that some colleagues are worried that that might limit the time available for scrutiny, but I can assure them that the number of Committee sittings and how long they last is not in the motion. We have already said to Opposition parties that we are prepared to be flexible about this matter to ensure that the Bill has all the scrutiny necessary in Committee and two days for Report stage and Third Reading on the Floor of the House. I ask my hon. Friends and others to support the programme motion. During the debate, many colleagues have contributed their experience as teachers, governors, local councillors and parents. I taught for 11 years before coming into this place. I taught in the lean years, when funding per pupil was falling in real terms, when we used to run around putting buckets under leaky roofs, and when the four in 10 11-year-olds who came into secondary schools without the necessary levels of English and Maths sank or swam—and usually sank—on their own. So, although I welcome support from wherever it comes in the House, quite frankly I would not depend on Tories to deliver our shared ambition to provide the best education for every child, wherever they live, whatever their background. We have been taken back in time by the hon. Member for Havant (Mr. Willetts) and the right hon. and learned Member for Rushcliffe (Mr. Clarke)—back to 1987, back to Margaret Thatcher. Well, there is one thing that can be said about those years: at least then Tories used to vote with the courage of their convictions. Tonight, they will be voting with the courage of our convictions, because the Bill builds on the hard work of staff, governors, school leaders and local authorities throughout the country, backed by Labour Government investment and reform, which has led to the best ever results, more young people staying on and getting on, and fewer failing schools. For this Government, however, good enough has never been good enough. While there are still seven out of 10 young people on free school meals who do not get five good GCSEs, while too many leave education and training at 16, and while where someone comes from still determines where they will get to, there is more to be done, and only a Labour Government can do it. That is why clause 1 spells out what is at the heart of our reform: ensuring that every child fulfils their educational potential. My hon. Friend the Member for Eltham (Clive Efford) is right to focus the Government on disadvantage, but that is what the Bill does and what our funding has been doing. The Bill is about more one-to-one and small group tuition, more targeted support for disadvantaged families and more full-time provision for excluded pupils—the sorts of things argued for by my hon. Friend the Member for High Peak (Tom Levitt) as well.