Education and Inspections Bill

I rise briefly to support the amendment. In doing so, I reflect on the words of the Minister at the beginning, with which I very much agree, that this is part of a context of Bills and Acts. I agree with the noble Lord, Lord Dearing, that we sometimes need reminding what all these things are and have been about. I support the amendment partly because it ties in with a later amendment about the duties of governing bodies in relation to Every Child Matters. Anything that supports Every Child Matters being enshrined constantly in the Bill is very important. The amendment is more dynamic than the current wording. I am glad—I agree with the noble Baroness, Lady Williams—that the word ““well-being”” is there. We really will not get higher standards in our schools unless we focus on wider issues of welfare and well-being. Not all children are in school—some are truants, some are young carers and some are excluded. We ignore those children at our peril. Last week the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Children, which I chair, had presentations from three directors of children’s services from various parts of the country. They carry out their duties in very different ways—different configurations of services and different staffing structures—but have at the core the well-being of the child. All those working with children are now expected to work towards the five outcomes, and this work is inspected by the joint area reviews and Ofsted. I go back to the issue of well-being. Well-being must be in the functions of any school and any local authority. This amendment seems to tie in these responsibilities successfully. Therefore, I support the noble Lord, Lord Dearing.