Last week political attention focused on the government’s decision to remove clause 5 from the Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill.
Simply put, this removed the Personal Independence Payment (PIP) part of the bill. The government decided to step back, reflect and revisit the issue after the Timms Review - a welcome sign of listening and adapting.
Whatever your views on welfare reform, it would be encouraging to see the same reconsideration being applied to the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill.
A U-turn on the schools bill?
Since its publication just before Christmas, this bill has drawn criticism from across the education sector. Tes and evidence presented at the Commons committee Stage have revealed serious concerns from the sector about both its content and its impact.
From changes to intervention in “failing” schools to limiting space for schools to innovate and respond to local needs, the bill risks constraining rather than supporting improvement. It centralises decisions that should be rooted in professional judgement and community context.
Educators will, of course, continue to do what they always do: provide the best education possible for their pupils, regardless of the landscape.
The government says it wants “excellence everywhere” for every child, but it has failed to explain how measures such as mandatory Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) or a standardised curriculum will raise standards.
Similarly, proposed changes to admissions seem to tackle problems in bureaucratic place planning rather than improve the quality of education.
Stifling innovation in education
At the New Schools Network we have been campaigning to fix the bill and protect what works.
Opposition isn’t all fire and fury. Many critics express quiet, determined concern about the opportunity cost of the legislation - how it will reduce flexibility and inhibit innovation. Its full impact may only be visible in five or 10 years, in the lives of the children affected.
So, here’s a proposal - hardly radical in light of last week’s events in Westminster: pause the schools elements of the bill.
We are expecting both a Schools White Paper and the publication of the curriculum and assessment review in the autumn, including vital reforms for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). These offer a chance for the government to set any changes within a wider, evidence-based vision for the whole school system.
The government’s stated aim is to raise standards. Now is its opportunity to pause, listen and ensure that its actions match that ambition. Doing so would take courage - but also demonstrate a real commitment to delivering an education system that builds on success, not one that holds it back.
Meg Powell-Chandler is director of the New Schools Network
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