HC Deb 11 June 1998 vol 313 cc1181-2
6. Mr. Chris Mullin (Sunderland, South)

What advice he has given to local education authorities regarding school exclusions and the making of alternative arrangements for the education of children who are excluded; and if he will make a statement. [43757]

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Education and Employment (Ms Estelle Morris)

We have recently issued brief interim guidance on the changes to the law that come into force in September 1998. We are also preparing a new package of guidance on a range of exclusion issues that will reflect the recommendations of the truancy and school exclusion report.

Mr. Mullin

Is my hon. Friend aware that, in many parts of the country, there is little or no provision for excluded school children? I am aware of a couple of cases in my constituency where children as young as 10 or 11 are left hanging around the streets for much of the day. Does my hon. Friend agree that if we allow the problem to continue, we will store up a big difficulty for ourselves in future? Will she tell us what plans we have to address this problem?

Ms Morris

My hon. Friend is right: sadly, children who are excluded from school are often those who need the most help and more education to raise standards, but they are excluded from any educational provision. It is not only in my hon. Friend's constituency that excluded children receive no education; it is a pattern that we found throughout the country when we took office a year ago. That is why we have already made a firm commitment, coming out of the school exclusion report, that children excluded for more than three weeks will have a right to full-time and appropriate education. That will be phased in when resources allow; the resources will be there and we intend that implementation should take no longer than three years in every local education authority throughout the country.

Mr. Tony Baldry (Banbury)

Most parents, teachers and governors are concerned not about school exclusions but about when the Labour Government are going to deliver on the pledge they made at the general election to reduce class sizes. Class sizes in Bury might be going down, simply because there is substantially—

Madam Speaker

Order. The question is not about class sizes.

Mr. Baldry

No, Madam Speaker; it is about school exclusions. The Government are making a lot of what they are doing about exclusions, but my point is that people in Oxfordshire are not coming up to me and expressing their concern about exclusions of children in Oxfordshire. They are concerned about when the Government are going to deliver on their policy and pledge to reduce class sizes—

Madam Speaker

Order. Thank you very much.