Education Bill 2004

Devolution has provided us with many opportunities to consider and set our made in Wales agenda, not least in our plans to establish Wales as a Learning Country.  To drive through our agenda we must make full use of our capacity to shape legislative proposals in ways that are best suited to our country’s needs. With that in mind, I am pleased to report that the Education Bill 2004, covering both Wales and England, will be introduced to Parliament tomorrow.

The Bill takes up the theme for the UK Government’s 4th session legislative programme – that of freeing up our public services to improve delivery. This is reflected in measures that we are currently progressing in Wales, such as easing teacher workload and, by reducing unnecessary bureaucratic burdens, releasing more time for teaching and learning: measures heralded in The Learning Country, our paving document for primary and secondary education legislation and our strategic statement on comprehensive education and lifelong learning in Wales to 2010.

The Education Bill implements policy commitments and proposals made in the Department for Education and Skills Five Year Strategy for Children and Learners and A New Relationship with Schools. For Wales it continues to take forward our policy commitments and proposals first brigaded in The Learning Country.

The Bill extends to England and Wales only, save for two provisions that extends to the United Kingdom. It will be divided into 5 parts and have some 120 clauses and 19 Schedules. In the main, the provisions relate to both England and Wales (59 clauses), although there are variations in the precise provisions for both countries. A number of provisions (40 clauses) relate to Wales-only: a number of provisions (25 clauses) relate to England-only.
Broadly, the Bill will make provision for:
 
 school inspections and other inspections by school inspectors
 school organisation  
 training the school workforce
 miscellaneous matters including: funding of maintained schools; provision of higher education in maintained schools; supply and sharing of information ;  alternative education provision for excluded pupils
 general matters: repeals, commencements, etc.

By way of illustration, this means we shall be able to:

 further develop the arrangements for inspection in Wales as we consider appropriate , and to a timetable of our choosing, as the common inspection framework beds in

 clarify roles and responsibilities relating to the appointment of the Chief Inspector and the terms and conditions of HMI

 put inspection of careers service on a par with other areas of the Chief Inspector’s remit

 establish a panel to advise the National Assembly on matters relating to Estyn

  enable schools to provide higher education modules – in effect tasters -  for the most able pupils, opening new learner pathways, which will contribute to the delivery of wider access to and increased participation in higher education

  introduce  data collection and sharing arrangements in respect of adults working in the school sector to help inform our future policies, for example, in relation to workforce supply or demand

 support our social inclusion policy by introducing data sharing to ensure that all those eligible for free school meals can easily take up their entitlement

 support our policies to deal with poor pupil behaviour, tackle disaffection and reduce absenteeism by moves to secure attendance at alternative education provision

 give even more support to the wider school workforce.

Save for provisions relating to England only, for example, powers to introduce a school profile, most of the provisions relating to Wales are enabling in character. This means, subject to enactment, that the Assembly will have discretionary powers as to the extent of their application in Wales, as was made clear in The Learning Country and subsequently with the commencement and implementation of provisions in the Education Act 2002 relating to Wales.

The Bill will predominantly relate to schools or matters connected with schools. In the context of our longer – term programme for comprehensive education and lifelong learning in Wales to 2010, it will represent a further legislative platform in our far reaching programme of support and development for comprehensive education and lifelong learning described in The Learning Country.

The National Assembly can take satisfaction with what will appear on the face of the Bill. This has been achieved through close and productive working relationships with the Wales Office. It clearly shows how devolution is working to ensure that our distinctive system of education and training can be delivered with robust confidence and pre-eminently for the benefit of learners in every part of Wales, now and for the future.

Copies of the Bill and Explanatory Notes will be made available through the Members’ Research Service.