UK Parliament / Open data

Academies Bill [Lords]

Proceeding contribution from David Ward (Liberal Democrat) in the House of Commons on Monday, 19 July 2010. It occurred during Debate on bills on Academies Bill [Lords].
Hence the pupil premium. Parental involvement —my next point—is very important too. There is nothing to stop a school having all the things that I mentioned. It does not have to be a faith school, a maintained school, an academy, a grant-maintained school or a foundation school. A point not previously raised, although I think the hon. Member for Hampstead and Kilburn (Glenda Jackson) touched on it, is that everything that I have mentioned will produce a school with high achievement, but not necessarily a school with high attainment. There is a difference between the two. As I said, it is simple to determine what makes a successful school, but it is not always easy. Apart from parental involvement, everything that I have talked about relates to school level variables—the school and what it can actually deliver—but pupil level variables determine attainment in the school. We seem to have common agreement about the need for a pupil premium to support schools serving deprived communities, but why not give it a chance in those schools? Is it not premature to look at the structure yet again, before we have seen what the additional funding can do to raise attainment in those schools?

About this proceeding contribution

Reference

514 c80 

Session

2010-12

Chamber / Committee

House of Commons chamber
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