Academies Bill [Lords]

My hon. Friend made a number of valuable contributions yesterday, and she is absolutely right to remind us of those facts. As I pointed out at the beginning of my speech, Building Schools for the Future was not just about school buildings; it was about transforming opportunities for young people. I have visited some of the most run-down and socially disadvantaged areas in the country—as other Members on both sides of the Committee will have done, and as the Minister will no doubt be doing—and seen the transformation that can be created by the building of a new school, at a cost of perhaps £30 million. Local people have told me, ““This is the first time for years that the state has invested any significant sums in our community.”” We tend to say, ““Perhaps we can save a bit of money here and save a bit of money there””, but the symbolism of those schools in those areas cannot possibly be underestimated. That, I think, is what my hon. Friend meant when she said that Building Schools for the Future was not just about buildings, but about transformation and improving opportunities and life chances.