Vote Bundle Text (960519-02)

Amendments proposed to the Education and Inspections Bill, As Amended - continued	House of Commons

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Scientifically based research

Mr David Willetts
Mr Nick Gibb
Mr John Hayes
Mr David Evennett

NC6

To move the following Clause:—

'(1) The Secretary of State shall have a duty to promote the use of educational activities and programmes which have been shown to be effective through scientifically based research.

(2) Where the Secretary of State conducts, commissions or publishes research in relation to educational activities and programmes, he must be satisfied that the research will be scientifically based.

(3) The term "scientifically based", in relation to research—

(a) means research that involves the application of rigorous, systematic, and objective procedures to obtain reliable and valid knowledge relevant to education activities and programmes; and

(b) includes research that—

(i) employs systematic, empirical methods that draw on observation or experiment,

(ii) involves rigorous data analyses that are adequate to test the stated hypotheses and justify the general conclusions drawn,

(iii) relies on measurements or observational methods that provide reliable and valid data across evaluators and observers, across multiple measurements and observations and across studies by the same or different investigators,

(iv) is evaluated using experimental or quasi-experimental designs in which individuals, entities, programmes or activities are assigned to different conditions and with appropriate controls to evaluate the effects of the condition of interest, with a preference for random-assignment experiments, or other designs to the extent that those designs contain within-condition or across-condition controls,

(v) ensures that experimental studies are presented in sufficient detail and clarity to allow for replication or, at a minimum, offer the opportunity to build systematically on their findings, and

(vi) has been accepted by a peer-reviewed journal or approved by a panel of independent experts through a comparably rigorous, objective, and scientific review.'.

Effective early reading instruction

Mr David Willetts
Mr Nick Gibb
Mr John Hayes
Mr David Evennett

NC7

To move the following Clause:—

'(1) EA 2002 is amended as follows.

(2) In section 84 (curriculum requirements for the first, second and third key stages), after subsection (2) insert—

"(2A) The programme of study in English for the first and second key stages shall specify systematic reading instruction using synthetic phonics."

(3) In section 83 (curriculum requirements for foundation stage), after subsection (2) insert—

"(2A) The Secretary of State shall ensure that early learning goals and educational programmes in communication, language and literacy enable most children to begin high quality, systematic phonic work by the age of five."

(4) The Childcare Act 2006 is amended as follows.

(5) In section 41, after subsection (3) insert—

"(3A) The Secretary of State shall ensure that early learning goals, educational programmes and assessment arrangements in relation to communication, language and literacy enable most children to begin high quality, systematic phonic work by the age of five.".'

Appeal to High Court from the adjudicator

Mr David Willetts
Mr Nick Gibb
Mr John Hayes
Mr David Evennett

NC8

To move the following Clause:—

'(1) Section 11 of the Tribunals and Inquiries Act 1992 (appeals from certain tribunals) is amended as follows.

(2) For "15(a) or (d)" substitute "15(a), (d) or (f)".'.

Permitted selection: aptitude for one or more subjects

Mr David Willetts
Mr Nick Gibb
Mr John Hayes
Mr David Evennett

NC9

To move the following Clause:—

'(1) Section 102 of SSFA 1998 is amended as follows.

(2) In subsection (1) omit the word "prescribed".'.

Home-school contracts

Mr David Willetts
Mr Nick Gibb
Mr John Hayes
Mr David Evennett

NC10

To move the following Clause:—

'(1) Section 111 of SSFA 1998 is amended as follows.

(2) Omit subsections (4)(b), (4)(c) and (5)

(3) After subsection (4) insert—

"(4A) A governing body of a school to which section 110(1) applies or the local education authority where it is the admission authority for such a school may make it a condition of being admitted to the school that the parental declaration is signed in respect of the child."

(4) In the heading of sections 110 (home-school agreements) and 111 (supplementary provisions about home-school agreements) for "agreements" substitute "contracts".'.

Home-school contracts (No. 2)

Mr David Willetts
Mr Nick Gibb
Mr John Hayes
Mr David Evennett

NC11

To move the following Clause:—

'(1) SSFA 1998 is amended as follows.

(2) After section 111 insert—

"Home-school contracts

111A Home-school contracts

(1) The governing body of a school which is—

(a) a maintained school, or

(b) a city technology college, a city college for the technology of the arts or an Academy,

may adopt a home-school contract for the school, together with a parental declaration to be used in connection with the contract.

(2) For the purposes of this section and section 111 a 'home-school contract' is a statement specifying—

(a) the school's aims and values;

(b) the school's responsibilities, namely the responsibilities which the school intends to discharge in connection with the education of pupils at the school who are of compulsory school age;

(c) the parental responsibilities, namely the responsibilities which the parents of such pupils are expected to discharge in connection with the education of their children while they are registered pupils at the school; and

(d) the school's expectations of its pupils, namely the expectations of the school as regards the conduct of such pupils while they are registered pupils there;

and 'parental declaration' means a document to be used by qualifying parents for recording that they take note of the school's aims and values and its responsibilities and that they acknowledge and accept the parental responsibilities and the school's expectations of its pupils.

(3) The governing body shall take reasonable steps to secure that the parental declaration is signed by every qualifying parent.

(4) An admissions authority may make it a condition of a child being admitted to the school that the parental declaration is signed in respect of the child.

(5) An admissions authority may not—

(a) invite any person to sign the parental declaration at a time when the child in question has not been admitted to the school, or

(b) make any decision as to whether or not to admit a child to the school by reference to whether any such declaration is or is not likely to be signed in respect of the child.

(6) Subsections (3) and (4) do not require the governing body to seek the signature of a qualifying parent if, having regard to any special circumstances relating to the parent or the pupil in question, they consider that it would be inappropriate to do so.

(7) Where the governing body considers that a registered pupil at the school has a sufficient understanding of the home-school contract as it relates to him, they may invite the pupil to sign the parental declaration as an indication that he acknowledges and accepts the school's expectations of its pupils.

(8) The governing body shall discharge its duty under subsection (3)—

(a) in the case of a pupil attending the school on the relevant date, as soon after that date as is reasonably practicable; and

(b) in the case of a pupil admitted to the school, as soon after the date of his admission as is reasonably practicable.

(9) The governing body shall from time to time review the home-school contract.

(10) Where the home-school contract is revised by the governing body following such a review, subsections (3) to (8) shall, in the case of pupils admitted to the school after the revision takes effect, accordingly apply in relation to the revised contract.

(11) Before adopting the home-school contract or parental declaration, or revising that contract, the governing body shall consult—

(a) all qualifying parents, and

(b) such other persons as may be prescribed.

(12) In this section—

'qualifying parent' means a registered parent of a pupil at the school who is of compulsory school age;

'admission authority' has the meaning given by section 88(1).

(13) Section 110 does not apply to a governing body that decides to have a home-school contract.

111B Contents of home-school contracts

(1) In discharging any function under section 111A the governing body of a school shall have regard to any guidance given from time to time by the Secretary of State.

(2) If the Secretary of State by order so provides, the governing body of a school to which subsection (1) of that section applies shall ensure that any form of words—

(a) specified in the order, or

(b) having such effect as is so specified,

is not used in a home-school contract or (as they case may be) in a parental declaration.

(3) An order under subsection (2) may apply—

(a) to any school specified in the order, or

(b) to any description of school so specified.

(4) A home-school contract shall not be capable of creating any obligation in respect of whose breach any liability arises in contract or in tort.".'.

Coursework

Mr David Willetts
Mr Nick Gibb
Mr John Hayes
Mr David Evennett

NC12

To move the following Clause:—

'(1) Section 98 of the Learning and Skills Act 2000 is amended as follows.

(2) After subsection (3) insert—

"(3A) The Secretary of State may not refuse to approve a qualification solely on the grounds that it does not include coursework.".'.