Education Reform (Hansard, 21 June 1988)

§ 7. Mr. Sean Hughes
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he will make a statement on the progress of the working parties established in relation to the national curriculum.

§ The Minister of State, Department of Education and Science (Mrs. Angela Rumbold)
My right hon. Friend is expecting final reports from the mathematics and science working groups by the end of this month. These reports, together with my right hon. Friend's comments, will be published in due course. Working groups for English and for design and technology were set up on 29 April. The English working group has been asked to report on the primary stages by 30 September and on the secondary stages by 30 April next year. Interim and final reports of the design and technology working group are to be submitted by 31 October and 30 April respectively.

§ Mr. Hughes
To avoid any confusion about the teaching of history as part of the curriculum, will the Minister make it clear whether she supports the Secretary of State's view that the teaching of history is an integral part of the curriculum foundation course, or whether she supports the Prime Minister's view, expressed in the Oxford university magazine last year, that the teaching of history is a luxury?

§ Mrs. Rumbold
It is perfectly clear from the way in which the Education Reform Bill is formulated that history is regarded by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State and, indeed, by the Government, as one of our foundation subjects. Therefore, history will be taught within the foundation subjects in all schools as and when the working party reports to us.

§ Mr. Latham
Will my hon. Friend proceed at a leisurely pace on the setting up of the working group on foreign languages, since it is not immediately clear from where the staff to teach that discipline are to come?

§ Mrs. Rumbold
I am sure that my right hon. Friend will take note of my hon. Friend's comments on that matter. It is our intention ultimately to set up a working group on the teaching of foreign languages, and the supply of teachers will form part of our considerations when the working groups have reported and the national curriculum is introduced into our schools.

§ Ms. Armstrong
Will the Secretary of State ensure that some of the working parties consider health education? Will they support the view of the Minister for Health that anti-smoking campaigns should be pursued in schools? If so, will the Minister consider what will happen in city technology colleges? Will the Government make sure that the basic curriculum is followed there as well as in other schools?

§ Ms. Rumbold
My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State will fund the city technology colleges when he is satisfied that the core and foundation subjects are being satisfactorily taught as part of their curriculum. We expect health education to be part of the schools' curriculum outside the core and foundation subjects, and also part of the cross-curricula themes, of which we would expect the science working group in particular to take note.

§ 8. Mr. Boswell
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what further steps he is taking to ensure that head teachers and governors are adequately trained for their expanded duties under the Education Reform Bill.

§ Mr. Dunn
We propose to give priority within the local education authority training grant scheme to training which will support heads and senior teachers in implementing the initiatives introduced in our Bill. My right hon. Friend has also recently announced proposals to establish a task force for management training. We further propose that education support grants should be available in 1989–90 on £5 million of expenditure on the training of school and college governors, and £25 million of expenditure to ensure that head teachers and governors are properly supported during the introduction of financial delegation to our schools.

§ Mr. Boswell
Does my hon. Friend agree that the Education Reform Bill opens new perspectives for head teachers and gives school governors a proper job to do for the first time? Does he further agree that the training opportunities that he has outlined today, and the Government's publicity campaign, may and should alert many more people in all walks of life, including business, to the opportunities that they will have to influence education at the level of the individual school?

§ Mr. Dunn
Yes, Sir. To that end, over 3.5 million copies of "Shouldn't you become a school governor?" and nearly 750,000 copies of "School governors—a new role" have been distributed. The leaflets have been widely welcomed and there is continuing demand for them, especially from schools. The opportunities ahead are exciting.

§ Mr. Pike
Will the Minister recognise that many people who are concerned about education are worried that head teachers, rather than being involved in education, will increasingly become business managers, and feel that this will be detrimental to the education of our children? Can he give an assurance that we will be able to find governors who are able to give the time that is necessary to deal with the new responsibilities that will be laid upon governors? It is not all about training. We need people who are able to give the time that is necessary as well.

§ Mr. Dunn
In the context of the first part of the question posed by the hon. Member, I believe that the reverse is the case. All our provisions, especially financial delegation, will allow head teachers to devote more time to the improvement of education in their schools, rather than constantly banging on the doors of the education office to get minor things done which are time-consuming. With regard to the second part of the question, it is incumbent on all of us in this Chamber, and many outside, to ensure a supply of highly motivated, enthusiastic individuals who are ready to serve as school governors, irrespective of the source from which they might come.

§ Mr. Rowe
Does my hon. Friend agree that before one can train school governors one has to find them, that one of the most effective ways of finding them is by increasing the use of volunteers at all levels within the schools, and that people can graduate from being volunteers helping the school to being school governors? Will he undertake to 962 look very seriously at the possibility of expanding the use of volunteers to assist in the education of our children? [Interruption.]

§ Mr. Andrew F. Bennett
They have sacked all the governors in Kent.

§ Mr. Kenneth Baker
And they have sacked all the governors in Staffordshire.

§ Mr. Dunn
If I am allowed to answer the question, I should like to point out that the reforms upon which we have embarked are giving governors more say in the management of their schools. This should make the role of a school governor, and school government, much more attractive to many people who have previously not considered it. The hon. Member for Denton and Reddish (Mr. Bennett) goes on about the county of Kent. I ask him to address his interest to what has taken place in the county of Staffordshire.

§ Mr. Cryer
If the Minister has a moment, may I ask whether it will not mean a massive increase in expenditure to train these heads and governors, with no educational advantage? Head teachers and governors in my constituency of Bradford, South are desperately pressing for money from the Government to increase the number of buildings. As the Minister knows, there are 500 temporary classrooms. All this training will not get round the enormous problem of making sure that there are adequate premises, which is the Government's responsibility. When will they face it and provide money to replace some of the 500 temporary classrooms in my constituency and elsewhere in Bradford?

§ Mr. Dunn
I am absolutely horrified by the question posed by the hon. Member. I know that he has been out of the House of Commons for some time, and will undoubtedly be so again, and I must point out to him that our capital programme is much improved and that most of what he said is both rubbish and irrelevant. Secondly, the reforms on which we have embarked will encourage a more positive attitude from those who are, and those who wish to become, school governors under these reforms.