Oral Answers to Questions

Nick Gibb Excerpts

Monday 12th July 2010 Commons Chamber

[Julian Smith (Skipton and Ripon) (Con)]

3. How many expressions of interest in academy status have been received from schools in (a) Skipton and Ripon constituency and (b) North Yorkshire.

[The Minister of State, Department for Education (Mr Nick Gibb)]

So far five expressions of interest in academy status have been received from schools in Skipton and Ripon. Fifteen expressions of interest have been received from schools in North Yorkshire.

[Julian Smith]

Does the Minister agree that schools with foundation trust status should be given credit for the work they have already done in moving along the path to independence, and can their path to academy status therefore be made slightly easier?

[Mr Gibb]

May I welcome my hon. Friend to the House and congratulate him on his election? I understand his point. Trust status was a useful form of independence, which is why it surprises me that Labour Members are so critical of our moves to boost the academies programme and to give more schools the independence and the trust in professionals that is inherent in the trust school system. Our concern about the trust school basis is that it did not give sufficient freedoms to schools; we want to ensure that schools have those extra freedoms.

[Tristram Hunt (Stoke-on-Trent Central) (Lab)]

rose—

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[Margot James (Stourbridge) (Con)]

8. What his most recent assessment is of the level of discipline in schools.

[The Minister of State, Department for Education (Mr Nick Gibb)]

The latest Ofsted reports tell us that in 95% of primary schools and 80% of secondary schools inspected in 2008-09 pupils’ behaviour was good or outstanding, but that means that behaviour in one out of five secondary schools is still no better than satisfactory. To address this, I announced to the House on 7 July a series of measures that will give head teachers and teachers the powers they need to ensure discipline in the classroom and to promote good behaviour.

[Margot James]

I thank my hon. Friend for his answer. Two teachers from a primary school came to my surgery in despair over school discipline. They and others have advised me that schools are deterred from excluding pupils because they believe that doing so would have a negative impact on their Ofsted score and budgets. Does he agree that discipline and a head teacher’s ability to exclude pupils is being undermined by that and other aspects of schools policy that prevailed under the previous Government?

[Mr Gibb]

I thank my hon. Friend for that question. I welcome her to the House and congratulate her on her election. She is right: head teacher authority must be absolute in the classroom and we will remove deterrents that may prevent schools from properly exercising their powers to exclude pupils. The vast majority of head teachers intervene early to prevent exclusions becoming necessary, but when they are necessary we need to be sure that any deterrent is removed.

[Mr Marcus Jones (Nuneaton) (Con)]

9. How many expressions of interest in academy status his Department has received from schools in (a) Nuneaton constituency, (b) Warwickshire and (c) England.

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[Tracey Crouch (Chatham and Aylesford) (Con)]

11. How many expressions of interest in academy status his Department has received from schools in the Kent and Medway local authority area.

[The Minister of State, Department for Education (Mr Nick Gibb)]

Ninety-five expressions of interest in academy status have been received from schools in Kent, and nine expressions of interest have been received from schools in Medway.

[Tracey Crouch]

I thank the Minister for his reply, and I am sure that he will be reassured to hear that many of the head teachers I have spoken to are genuinely very enthusiastic about the programme. The Minister will be aware that many of the schools in Kent and Medway that have expressed an interest are grammar schools. Can he assure the House that if they were to become academies they would retain their selective status?

[Mr Gibb]

I am happy to give my hon. Friend that assurance.

[Damian Hinds (East Hampshire) (Con)]

12. What steps he is taking to reform early-years provision.