Ministers have been slapped down by an influential parliamentary committee over the “rushed and inadequate” timetable of their schools bill, which has “prevented” full scrutiny of the proposals.
The education select committee, which has a substantial Labour majority, said ministers failed to involve it in pre-legislative scrutiny and did not even give it advance notice of the bill’s publication.
Many of the schools’ elements of the bill were unexpected when it was published in December. The King’s Speech last year had promised only a children’s wellbeing bill.
Ministers have also been forced into a series of climbdowns and clarifications after sector leaders warned of the potential consequences of academy reforms.
‘At the expense of proper scrutiny’
In a report today, the committee warned the “decision not to involve our committee in pre-legislative scrutiny, or even to give us prior notice of the bill’s publication, has made it more difficult for us to conduct proper scrutiny”.
The bill’s timetable “has been rushed and inadequate”, the report added.
Helen Hayes, the committee chair, said that while the committee welcomed the government’s ambition, ”my colleagues and I from across the political parties were disappointed by how the government has rushed this bill through the House of Commons at the expense of time for proper scrutiny.
“With such wide-ranging reforms that will have dramatic, lasting consequences for children and families, the DfE’s need for speed should not have been prioritised over diligent examination of evidence.”
Chair wants free meals auto-enrolment
Hayes has now tabled a series of amendments which will be considered when the bill is next read in the Commons.
One would remove the requirement for pupils eligible for free school meals to register to receive them. The current opt-in system is estimated to exclude about 250,000 young people.
The committee heard that about one in 10 eligible children “miss out because of language barriers or difficulty with the admin process”.
The committee said it considered “that the arguments for auto-enrolment in free school meals for those children currently eligible are conclusive.
“In the interests of alleviating hunger in schools and improving health and educational outcomes for the poorest children, auto-enrolment must be brought in without delay.”
Some councils have already introduced auto-enrolment, raising extra money for schools because they receive the pupil premium paid to each child who has been eligible for free lunches in the past six years.
Schools can get more cash
Schools Week revealed in 2023 that in Lewisham, south-east London, this led to increased pupil premium funding of £1.2 million. Implementing the system cost just £800.
At present, the government’s “apply for free school meals” service simply points users to their local council’s website. Councils then have access to a digital portal to check their eligibility based on the benefits their families claim.
Pressed on auto-enrolment during a committee hearing earlier this month, Stephen Morgan, the early education minister, revealed “that checking system is being redesigned to allow parents and schools to check eligibility independently of their local authorities.
“The system will make it quicker and easier to check eligibility for free school meals, and has the potential to further boost take-up by families who meet the eligibility criteria.”
Morgan also said he was “aware of a range of measures being implemented by local authorities”, and added the government was “considering further work to improve auto-enrolment”.
But auto-enrolment nationally would have huge cost implications.
Based on current rates, the cost of providing free meals alone to 250,000 more pupils would be more than £120 million. The extra pupil premium would cost upwards of £300 million.
The DfE was approached for comment.
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