HC Deb 21 October 1986 vol 102 cc1132-4

Amendments made: No. 217, in page 81, line 28, column 3, at end insert— `In section 3(2), the words "or subsection (4) of section 2".'. No. 218, in page 81, line 33, column 3, at end insert— 'In section 35(1), the words from "(other" to "b))".'. No. 219, in page 81, line 34, at end insert—

'1980 c.44. The Education (Scotland) Act 1980 Section 23(5) to (7)'.—[Mr..Dunn.]

Order for Third Reading read.

Motion made, and Question proposed, That the Bill be now read the Third time.—[Mrs. Rumbold]

Mr. Radice

On Second Reading we said that the Bill was large but that it did not deal with the real issues. It has improved very little as it has moved through the House.

The balance on governing bodies is still not the way we would like it to be. We deplore the fact that the control of the curriculum has still been taken away from local education authorities. The Bill is still suffering from the Christmas tree effect with all the little bits added on—the clauses on freedom of speech, political indoctrination and sex education.

I wish to end on a brighter note. The only good thing was the windfall that we managed due to the discipline of the Labour party — thanks to the work of my hon. Friend the Member for Stoke-on-Trent, Central (Mr. Fisher) and, perhaps, the fallout from the royal wedding — when we achieved a famous victory by abolishing corporal punishment. It may well be that in the end, the Bill will be best known for the fact that we managed to get rid of corporal punishment. I do not think it will be particularly famous for anything else that it will achieve.

3.54 am
Sir John Farr

I should like to extend a warm welcome to the Bill and refer to clause 16 on general responsibility for the conduct of schools and to clauses 28 and 29 concerning annual parents' meetings and governors' reports for parents.

During the summer, we had several meetings in my constituency about the desirability of some schools having a uniform. I suggested to my hon. Friend the Minister that mentioning uniforms in the Bill might be useful. He replied that clauses 16, 28 and 29 should give parents, teachers and governors the right to ensure that school uniforms are worn if that is the parental preference.

We have several important schools in the Leicester area which have concentrated on school uniform for many years. I am lucky to have in my constituency the Manor high school, which is being influenced by the local education authority. The parents and governors of the school regard the authority as having a non-uniform policy.

I asked my hon. Friend the Minister in June whether it would be right to refer to uniforms in the Bill. He replied on 9 July that clauses 16, 28 and 29 would meet the point.

Decisions about uniform should rest with the head and governors, taking account of local values and conventions and the wishes of the majority of parents. If uniform does not appear in the Bill, it is important that it is referred to in the guidelines that may be issued so that there is no possibility of a local education authority overruling, undermining or watering down a decision that has been reached by the governors, the head and parents.

In his reply, my hon. Friend the Minister showed a sympathetic understanding of the wishes of parents of children at Manor high school at Oadby, and of governors. I have met them more than once and they all want to continue with uniform, which they find a great asset. I fully support them. My hon. Friend said: School uniform is not specifically mentioned in the Bill. However, as a general rule, matters not specifically assigned are allocated (under clause 16(1)) to the governing body as part of their responsibility for the conduct of the school. While 'conduct' as such is not defined, we take the view—and will be issuing guidance on this—that as well as being something of a residual responsibility, it is concerned with everything that goes to make up the ethos of a school. School uniform does, in our view, contribute significantly to a school's ethos and thus, under the provisions of the Bill, the question of school uniform would be one for the governing body. Earlier tonight, governors and teachers from Manor high school were in the Public Gallery. They hoped that this debate would come up sooner. I should be failing in my duty if I did not make their anxieties plain. I hope that guidelines in the form spelt out in the third paragraph of my hon. Friend's letter of 9 July will appear before long. If that happens, this short debate will not have been wasted.

I give the Bill a warm welcome. It is long overdue and much needed.

4 am

Mrs. Rumbold

I note the comments of my hon. Friend the Member for Harborough (Sir J. Farr) about school uniforms.

I did not have the privilege of serving on the Standing Committee that considered the Bill, but I have considered the measure in considerable depth and I believe that, on the whole, the House has produced a good piece of legislation which I welcome.

The Bill incorporates a number of elements that I believe will produce considerable improvements in the running of schools and in the curriculum. I welcome the Bill. I hope that the House will welcome it and that the country will benefit from it.

Question put and agreed to.

Bill read the Third time, and passed, with amendments.