STAFF AT FOUNDATION OR VOLUNTARY SCHOOL WITH RELIGIOUS CHARACTER (Hansard, 15 July 1998)

§ Mr. Byers
I beg to move, That this House doth agree with the Lords in the said amendment.

Mr. Deputy Speaker
With this, it will be convenient to discuss Lords amendments Nos. 72, 73, 261 to 278, 353 and 389.

§ Mr. Byers
These amendments fall into a number of groups. Amendments in the first group are rather technical; they ensure that registration under the General Teaching Council is effective and that an individual can be removed from the register when he or she has been dismissed from a school.
The other group of amendments is particularly important as it reflects consultations that the Government have had with the Church education authorities—in particular, on head teacher appointments at voluntary-controlled and foundation schools with a religious character, the religious opinions of staff, the advisory rights of diocesan authorities on the staffing of schools in their area, head teacher appointments at Roman Catholic and religious order schools, and selection procedures involving the whole governing body at some voluntary-aided schools.
The aim of the amendments, which were carried in the House of Lords, respects but does not go beyond the 1944 settlement. The amendments basically roll forward 485 the historic agreement reached in 1944 between the then Government and the Church education authorities. We seek to do no more than was provided in the Education Act 1944 on the religious character and the staffing of schools. We use the opportunity to update and clarify some of the wording, and we ensure that existing powers in articles of government of certain classes of school are carried forward into the new framework.
The amendments recognise and meet the Churches' concerns about staffing. They reflect the Government's belief that Church schools make a valuable contribution to the education of our children, and our belief that it is right and proper that those schools should be allowed to carry safeguards into the new framework.
The amendments agreed in the House of Lords do precisely that. They ensure that there is a roll forward into the new framework which protects the interests of Church schools, and which allows them to retain their religious character and distinctive ethos. Church schools are popular with parents, and I believe that many hon. Members present tonight understand why.
The amendments reflect the important role that Church schools play. They protect and preserve their position in relation to staffing matters.