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Speech in Lords Chamber - Mon 18 Jul 2022
Schools Bill [HL]

"I was going to get a glass of water, but that is going to be difficult. I thought for a moment that maybe the noble Lord, Lord Wei, was not going to move the amendment. I would have advised him not to. I am sure that he is well intended—I …..."
Lord Soley - View Speech

View all Lord Soley (Lab - Life peer) contributions to the debate on: Schools Bill [HL]
Speech in Lords Chamber - Mon 18 Jul 2022
Schools Bill [HL]

"I had not finished. It is very unusual to intervene on an intervention. I was speaking and I was giving way to the noble Lord, Lord Wei...."
Lord Soley - View Speech

View all Lord Soley (Lab - Life peer) contributions to the debate on: Schools Bill [HL]
Speech in Lords Chamber - Mon 18 Jul 2022
Schools Bill [HL]

"The noble Lord, Lord Wei, asked me to give way, which I did, but I am quite happy to continue as I have nearly finished.

I emphasise again that there has been far more consultation than the noble Lord, Lord Wei, is aware of. I did not spend the last …..."
Lord Soley - View Speech

View all Lord Soley (Lab - Life peer) contributions to the debate on: Schools Bill [HL]
Speech in Lords Chamber - Mon 18 Jul 2022
Schools Bill [HL]

"The noble Lord would give a right not to go on the register to those who he would say are educating their children okay. How on earth are you going to define that without giving the state even more powers? It is contradictory...."
Lord Soley - View Speech

View all Lord Soley (Lab - Life peer) contributions to the debate on: Schools Bill [HL]
Speech in Lords Chamber - Wed 22 Jun 2022
Schools Bill [HL]

"I would like to come in on Amendment 112A, in the name of the noble Lord, Lord Lucas, and say I agree with a great deal of what he said. Indeed, we have discussed it in the past; there is an issue here. I am not convinced by the idea …..."
Lord Soley - View Speech

View all Lord Soley (Lab - Life peer) contributions to the debate on: Schools Bill [HL]
Speech in Lords Chamber - Wed 22 Jun 2022
Schools Bill [HL]

"My Lords, I suggest to the noble Lord that if we look at this as a supportive, not punitive, measure, we need not get into the trap he is describing...."
Lord Soley - View Speech

View all Lord Soley (Lab - Life peer) contributions to the debate on: Schools Bill [HL]
Speech in Lords Chamber - Mon 20 Jun 2022
Schools Bill [HL]

"If I may come in at this stage, I first thank the Government for putting in this Bill my original Private Member’s Bill, as they said they would. It was brought before this House in 2017—a mere five years ago—and went through with support on all sides and the key …..."
Lord Soley - View Speech

View all Lord Soley (Lab - Life peer) contributions to the debate on: Schools Bill [HL]
Speech in Lords Chamber - Wed 15 Dec 2021
Alternative Education

"My Lords, can the Minister tell us where we are up to on the register? She will remember, I think, that some two years ago the Bill on home education passed through this House with support from all sides. I have had letters from Ministers since then saying that it …..."
Lord Soley - View Speech

View all Lord Soley (Lab - Life peer) contributions to the debate on: Alternative Education
Written Question
Home Education
Monday 8th November 2021

Asked by: Lord Soley (Labour - Life peer)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Barran on 29 October (HL3408), what assessment they have made of the number of children being home educated.

Answered by Baroness Barran - Shadow Minister (Education)

The department does not collect data on children who are home educated. However, we are aware of rising numbers of home-educated children.

The department supports the right of parents to educate their children at home. Most do so with the best education of their child at the centre of their decision. There are concerns about the rising numbers of home educated children, and how this increase is driven by reasons other than a commitment to home education. For some parents, the child’s education is not the primary reason behind the decision to home educate, which can mean that some children are not being provided with a suitable education.

The government remains committed to a form of registration system for children not in school. Further details on this will be in the government response to the Children Not in School consultation, which will be published in the coming months.

Written Question
Home Education
Friday 29th October 2021

Asked by: Lord Soley (Labour - Life peer)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Berridge on 28 April (HL14943), what steps they are taking to create a register of children being home-schooled in England.

Answered by Baroness Barran - Shadow Minister (Education)

The department remains committed to a form of local authority register for children not in school. We will set out further details on this in the government response to the ‘Children Not In School’ consultation, which we intend to publish before the end of the year.