A Bill to make provision about pupil and parent guarantees, home-school agreements, parental satisfaction surveys, children with disabilities or special educational needs, school and other education, governing bodies’ powers and school teachers’ qualifications; to make provision amending the Education Acts; to make provision about local safeguarding children boards and youth justice; and to make provision about publication of information relating to family
proceedings.
Now an Act of Parliament
The story so farThe Children, Schools and Families Bill was introduced in the House of Commons on 19 November 2009 by Ed Balls (Labour). It completed its passage through Parliament and became law as the Children, Schools and Families Act 2010, receiving Royal Assent on 8 April 2010.
What the bill does
<p>The Bill as introduced aimed to provide guarantees for parents and pupils, setting out what they were entitled to expect from the school system. It also aimed to reform the curriculum and introduce a new licensing scheme for teachers.</p><p>Clauses on a number of key provisions were removed during the consideration of Lords Amendments, including:</p><ul><li>the Pupil and Parent Guarantee</li><li>Home School Agreements</li><li>reform of the primary curriculum</li><li>introduction of compulsory Personal Social Health and Economic (PSHE) education – including the provision that all children receive at least one year of sex and relationship education</li><li>the licence to practise for teachers </li><li>registration and monitoring of home education </li><li>the extended remit for School Improvement Partners</li><li>school report cards</li><li>strengthened powers for local authorities and the Secretary of State to intervene where schools are causing concern</li><li>powers for the Secretary of State to intervene in failing Youth Offending Teams</li><li>parental satisfaction surveys</li></ul><p>The provisions that remain in the Bill include:</p><ul><li>requirements for school inspections to take into account the needs of pupils with special educational needs (SEN) and disabilities and provisions for an additional right of appeal for parents of children with special educational needs statements</li><li>a requirement for local authorities to provide full-time education for children and young people who, for various reasons, are in alternative provision</li><li>greater powers for school governing bodies on how they use their budgets, and the power to set up new schools and academies</li><li>new provisions on information sharing and the review of Local Safeguarding Children Boards’ performance</li><li>new arrangements to allow greater media reporting of proceedings in Family Courts</li></ul>
Progress through Parliament
1st readingCommons19 Nov 2009
2nd readingCommons11 Jan 2010
Programme motionCommons11 Jan 2010
Money resolutionCommons11 Jan 2010
Committee stageCommons19 Jan to 4 Feb 2010
Report stageCommons23 Feb 2010
3rd readingCommons23 Feb 2010
1st readingLords24 Feb 2010
2nd readingLords8 Mar 2010
Committee stageLords7 Apr 2010
Report stageLords7 Apr 2010
3rd readingLords7 Apr 2010
Consideration of Lords amendmentsCommons8 Apr 2010