§ Mr. Dormandasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science which of the recommendations made in the report "A New Partnership for our Schools" have been implemented; what action, if any, is proposed on those recommendations which have not been implemented; and if he will make a statement.
§ Dr. BoysonThe report "A New Partnership for our Schools" was submitted in June 1977. It contains 89
342W
§ Dr.BoysonThe numbers of full-time and of part-time teaching and research staff in 1979–81 is not yet available.
recommendations of varying degrees of significance. Local education authorities and governing bodies are free to act on many of these for themselves if they wish, without further Government action. Neither the present Government nor their predecessors accepted the major recommendations of the report for legislation. The Government's response to the report is reflected in sections 1–5 of the Education Act 1980, which provide in particular for the election of parent and teacher governors and for control by the Secretary of State of the practice of grouping numbers of schools under a single governing body, and empower the Secretary of State to make regulations about the meetings and proceedings of governing bodies and the tenure of office of governors. My right hon. and learned. Friend hopes to make a commencement order next month bringing these sections into force. He will consider when he should require compliance with the new provisions relating to the composition of governing bodies in the light of the progress made voluntarily and the availability of resources. The Government have at present no further plans for action on the report.