Education and Skills Act 2008

 

Following the final report of the Leitch Review, the government published an implementation plan, setting out how it intends to achieve ambitious targets for adult skills and literacy. These have been incorporated into the Bill, which sets a duty on young people to participate in education and training, and on parents to assist their children to participate.

The Bill would raise to 18 the minimum age at which young people can leave education or training, and bring in the legislative changes needed to implement key elements of the Leitch Review into the UK’s long term skills needs. It places duties on employers to release young people for the equivalent of one day a week to undertake training elsewhere.

To push forward adult skills, the Bill places a duty on the Learning and Skills Council to secure the proper provision of courses to allow learners over the age of 19 to attain functional literacy, numeracy and first full level 2 qualifications.

The Opposition has raised questions on the viability of compulsion, particularly since, it argues, students that drop out of school at a young age tend to be from disadvantaged backgrounds. Raising the leaving age would mean more disruptive students and higher truancy, they believe.

The under-secretary of state, Department for Children, Schools and Families, Lord Adonis, opened the second reading of the Education and Skills Bill, on June 10 2008.

He started by saying that “the Bill legislates in five main areas to improve education and skills. First, it will make it compulsory by 2015 for all young people to participate in some form of education or training, at least part time, until they are 18 years old. Secondly, it will make various provisions to encourage, enable and assist young people’s participation. Thirdly, it will give adults certain rights to expect skills training and enable analysis to take place of the quality and value of such training. Fourthly, it will make a number of changes to the inspection and regulatory regime for independent schools and non-maintained special schools. Fifthly, it will help to ensure a fair and transparent admissions system to schools both pre- and post-16.”

He highlighted the provisions that sought to raise the education and training leaving age to 17 in 2013 and 18 in 2015 as the most significant aspect of the Bill.

Baroness Morris of Bolton, opposition spokesperson for children, schools and families, started by saying that “those of us who believe that education is a good in itself share the Government’s hopes that the Bill will go some way towards improving the approach that we in this country take to learning and acquiring skills.”

She argued that there were serious flaws in the Bill. She argued that large parts have been added without proper debate or scrutiny, “making our job here all the more important, and the consultation process is open to question, although I shall come back to that.”

She added that “much of what the government are trying to achieve would be unnecessary if only standards in our schools were better, as the Minister acknowledged. The Government announced today that they have given local authorities 50 days to come up with a plan of action for their worst-performing secondary schools, although I am slightly at a loss as to why the possibility of their becoming academies is seen as a threat.”

She added that the Conservative Party believed that lifelong learning and acquiring new qualifications—either to help with better employment prospects or for general well-being—were worthy goals, which is why they had deep concerns about the government’s policies on equivalent-level qualifications.

Baroness Walmsley, Liberal Democrat spokesperson for children, schools and families, argued that “all the statistics show that the qualifications one obtains by the age of 18 are a good predictor of future life chances and income prospects. However, the Minister will not be surprised to learn that we take issue with him on some of the ways in which the Government propose to achieve this desirable outcome.”

She added that “despite the government's assurances about criminal records, I am still concerned about the duty in the Bill to disclose the offences and the effect it might have on a young person's future prospects.”

Baroness Sharp of Guildford, Liberal Democrat spokesperson for Innovation, Universities and Skills argued that “much has been made of our 24th position, out of 29, in the OECD league tables but if those tables are looked at it will be seen that our failure is, above all, in the intermediate and lower ends of the spectrum.”

She stated “we have all recognised that, with the complex choices that have to be made, careers guidance is absolutely vital. We talked about the Connexions service and the mentoring of the NEET programme but careers guidance to our young people in schools, who are making choices at the age of 12 and 13 between apprenticeships, diplomas and GCSEs or A-level, is absolutely vital. Yet, because of the degree to which the Connexion service has shifted from providing careers guidance to the mentoring service, we have reached a situation in which the careers guidance service has effectively collapsed. We have, more or less, to establish it from scratch.”

The under-secretary of state, Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills, Baroness Morgan of Drefelin, argued “we need also to act on the concerns of the noble Lord, Lord Low, in developing the apprenticeship matching service. A lot of work is going on to make sure that apprenticeships are not perceived as conforming to stereotypical sex roles.”

The Baroness concluded “we believe strongly that the culture change we are expecting as a result of this legislation, which makes a commitment to have young people in education until the age of 18, will be a positive step forward for all young people, including those with disabilities.”

House of Commons

First reading: November 28 2007 [HC Bill 12]

Second reading: January 14 2008

Education and Skills Bill Committee:

• 1st sitting: January 22 2008 (am)
• 2nd sitting: January 22 2008 (pm)
• 3rd sitting: Jannuary 24 2008 (am)
• 4th sitting: Jannuary 24 2008 (pm)
• 5th sitting: Jannuary 29 2008 (am)
• 6th sitting: Jannuary 29 2008 (pm)
• 7th sitting: January 31 2008 (am)
• 8th sitting: January 31 2008 (pm)
• 9th sitting: February 5 2008 (am)
• 10th sitting: February 5 2008 (pm)
• 11th sitting: February 7 2008 (am)
• 12th sitting: February 7 2008 (pm)
• 13th sitting: February 19 2008 (am)
• 14th sitting: February 19 2008 (pm)
• 15th sitting: February 21 2008 (am)
• 16th sitting: February 21 2008 (pm)
• 17th sitting: February 26 2008 (am)
• 18th sitting: February 26 2008 (pm)
• 19th sitting: February 28 2008 (am)
• 20th sitting: February 28 2008 (pm)

Bill as amended in Committee: [HC Bill 81]

Report Stage: May 13 2008

Third reading: May 13 2008

House of Lords

First reading: May 14 2008 [HL Bill 58]

Second reading: June 10 2008

Committee of the Whole House

• 1st sitting: June 25 2008
• 2nd sitting: July 1 2008
• 3rd sitting: July 3 2008
• 4th sitting: July 17 2008
• 5th sitting: July 21 2008
• Bill as amended: [HL Bill 80]

Report stage:

• 1st day: October 30 2008
• Bill as amended on report: [HL Bill 90]
  

Third reading: November 11 2008

Consideration of Lords amendments

November 17 2008 [HL Bill 164]

Royal Assent

November 26 2008