§ Lord Northbourneasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they have plans to develop a "Parents Code" or a contract or compact between parents and the state with a view to clarifying the respective rights and responsibilities of the various parties who share responsibility for care and education of children. [HL1388]
§ Baroness Ashton of UphollandFurther to my reply of 28 January,Official Report, col. WA 42, which explained that government department and local authority responsibilities for the care and education of children are set out in statute, case law and guidance, I can confirm that there are no plans to develop a "Parents Code" or a contract or compact such as that described.
We are, however, taking other steps to enable parents to be more fully aware of their rights and responsibilities. For example, we are strengthening the ways in which parents can obtain information about schools; we are also working to improve the partnership between schools and their pupils' parents as well as promoting ways of supporting parents to become more involved in their children's learning.