Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Bill

Perhaps I can put this into perspective. First, sixth-form colleges are happy with these proposals, and it might be helpful to make the Committee aware that the Local Government Association has agreed a protocol with the Sixth Form Colleges Forum which includes, among other things, how performance management and intervention powers will operate. We need to bear in mind that a lot of very hardworking and successful sixth-form colleges would like to go ahead and have for the first time in history a special legal status of their own. It would be a great disappointment to them if we were to pour cold water on that little bit of progress.