Al-Madinah Free School Debate

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Department: Department for Education

Al-Madinah Free School

Mary Glindon Excerpts
Thursday 17th October 2013

(10 years, 6 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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David Laws Portrait Mr Laws
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The hon. Gentleman is exactly right. When we consider how to intervene in failing schools, we need to consider the challenge of intervening just as swiftly as we are in this school in the hundreds of other schools across the country that are performing inadequately. The hard reality is that under the last Government and some previous Governments, too many inadequate schools across the country were able to sustain inadequate performance for long periods. The challenge is to ensure that the focus on this school is also on all those other maintained schools, which the hon. Member for Stoke-on-Trent Central seems far less attracted to focusing on.

Mary Glindon Portrait Mrs Mary Glindon (North Tyneside) (Lab)
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The local authority in this case has neither the power nor the capacity to help, so who will help the school to improve and take the action the Minister is requiring it to take?

David Laws Portrait Mr Laws
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We certainly will take action. The local authority concerned should reflect on some of the schools that it is responsible for in the area, many of which are not good or outstanding. It should focus on doing its job; we will do ours.