The Evolution of the Education Select Committee in the 2015 Parliament– Part One

J David Morgan

1 Introduction

In 2015 the Education Select Committee was formed after the start of the new Parliament which had been elected on May 7th. The former Chair, Graham Stuart, did not seek re- election. Under current rules he could have served an additional term.i A new chair, Neil Carmichael was elected by a secret ballot of all MPs on 17th June. By agreement between the parties the chairmanship was only open to Conservative MPs.ii Three candidates stood, with 597 votes cast in the first round of an election under the Alternative Vote System. The results were

Candidate 1st Round 2nd Round Neil Carmichael 224 294 191 252 182 - Table 1 – Election of Chair of Education Select Committee, June 17th 2015iii

Since the departmental committee system was set up in 1979, a committee overseeing the main Government department responsible for compulsory school age education has existed in various formats. It began as the Education, Science and Arts Committee. It has undergone a number of name changes and variation in responsibilities in the subsequent thirty-six years, to mirrors changes in the Department itself. The latest change in name was made on 15th June 2010.iv

The committees are governed by Standing Order 152 which states that “Select committees shall be appointed to examine the expenditure, administration and policy of the principal government departments” (in this case the Department for Education)…and associated public bodies.”v The committee has a series of pages on the Parliamentary website.vi

Of the eleven members of the 2010 committee at the end of the Parliament, one (David Ward, LD) had been defeated at the General Election. All others were re-elected, but only three chose to seek nomination to the successor committee, Neil Carmichael; and Caroline Nokes (who has subsequently stepped down).

Committee meetings take place on a frequent basis. Most commonly the committee will hold evidence sessions which are open to the public on Wednesday mornings when the House is in session. There have been additional hearings on other days, and some weeks have not had any hearings. These are frequently preceded by a brief private meeting of the committee. Other private meetings and seminars have been held. Formal Minutes of the committee are published, and have been a major source for this paper.vii

This is a follow up to the paper presented at the 2015 Political Studies Association Annual Conference in Sheffield.viii Such was the turnover in the membership of the committee, and

1 | P a g e the change in chairmanship, that it was decided to look at the new committee. In particular the focus moved from the opposition members to the committee as a whole.

As part of this research the public meetings of the committee were attended by the author on 9th, 16th September; 14th October; 4th November; 1st, 2nd December 2012; 13th , 27th January; 3rd February; 2nd and 9th of March 2016. Notes were taken and observations made. Interviews were conducted with three members of the committee during 2016, and informal questions put to members at various times.

Transcripts of committee hearings were obtained from the committee website.ix Contributions by members to proceedings in the House of Commons Chamber and Westminster Hall were found in Hansard.

2 The Establishment of the Committee

As noted above, the first step was the allocation of chairmanships to the political parties. Three Conservatives, one a former Education Minister, and two members of the 2010 Committee put themselves up for election to the chair. Party allocation of seats on each committee had also been agreed, and self-nomination was called for within each party. The House of Commons had endorsed the principle in 2010 that “parties should elect members of select committees in a secret ballot by whichever transparent and democratic method they chose.”x The Committee of Selection put down a motion for membership of the Education Committee on 6th July 2015. Subsequently Kate Hollern; Kate Osamor (both Labour) and Caroline Nokes (Conservative) have stepped down from the committee. Their places have been filled by Catherine McKinnell; (Labour) and (Conservative).

The first meeting of the committee was held on July 8th, and it considered Working Methods and Future Programme.xi

In the first eight months three members stood down and were replaced. Early turnover is not unusual. In 2005 one member (Evennett) had stood down within six months, a second (Farron) after 10 months, and a third (Blackman-Woods) just after the first anniversary of the nomination of the committee. In 2010 two members (Burns and Kendall) stood down after four months.

Three of the Specialist Advisors from the previous Parliament remained with the committee - Professor David Berridge, Marion Davis CBE, Professor Becky Francis. Dr Matt Woolgar joined them. Berridge and Davis had been specialist advisors to the committee since the 2010-12 session, and Francis since 2013-14.

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The committee is supported by a number of Clerks. At January 2016 these were -

Richard Ward Clerk Kevin Maddison Second Clerk Martin Smith Committee Specialist Anna Connell-Smith Committee Specialist Jack Dent Inquiry Manager Jonathan Arkless Senior Committee Assistant Simon Armitage Committee Assistant Beryl-Joan Bonsu Social Media Assistant Gary Calder Media Officer Table 2 – Committee Staffxii

3 The Work Programme

Formal minutes of meetings are produced and are now published on the committee’s website.xiii

The predecessor committee finished its work with a report reviewing its work over the 2010 Parliament – “Closing the Gap: the work of the Education Committee in the 2010-15 Parliament”. It was careful not to propose an agenda for its successor, but contained a number of comments about Education matters which will no doubt continue to influence the current committee. It noted that “the DfE has delayed post-legislative scrutiny of the Education and Skills Act 2008 and the Equality Act 2010 until after the [2015] General Election”xiv On 16+ care options it urged, “whoever is in Government from May 2015 to reconsider this issue.”xv On the future of Ofsted and the committee’s recommendation that Ofsted’s functions be separated, it commented that “Again we consider this a priority for the next Parliament.”xvi It urged that “whoever is in Government from May 2015 should make increased accountability in the academy sector a priority.”xvii

In the Chancellor’s Budget speech on 16th March 2016, George Osborne announced, “ that I am today providing extra funding so that by 2020 every primary and secondary school in will be, or be in the process of becoming, an academy.”xviii In response to this announcement, the Chair of the Committee issued a press release which said - "Some academies are delivering great results for their pupils but in progressing to a fully academised system we must ensure all schools are properly held to account for their performance. Multi-Academy Trusts already play a substantial role in our education system and they will be increasingly important as all state schools move to becoming academies. MATs currently receive little scrutiny and in our inquiry we are determined to examine their performance, accountability, and governance. The Government will face significant challenges in implementing these proposals. The drive to change school structures will pose particular issues for primary schools, where only around 15 per cent are currently academies. As a Committee we look forward to examining the full details of these proposals."xix

The 2010-15 Committee noted that ‘Progress 8’ will be introduced in 2016 to assist in measuring pupils’ progress through their school careers. The committee stated “we would expect our successor Committee to pay close attention to the impact this has on school

3 | P a g e accountability.”xx On apprenticeships and traineeships, the report noted “we highlighted the necessity for new proposals to be developed early in the new Parliament. We also suggested that there were questions to be answered about ownership of apprenticeship standards once the current redesign work is completed.”xxi Careers advice had been a matter of concern throughout the last Parliament and noted that reform “remains a work in progress and should be high up the agenda in the next Parliament.”xxii Accompanying the report was a film commissioned by the committee which included a request for “members of the public to tell us what they think the next Government needs to do about early years, child protection, schools, Ofsted, and support for young people as they complete their secondary education…we hope that people will engage with our successor Committee to help them determine the key issues to be examined when embarking on new inquiries in the new Parliament.”xxiii

It is certainly the view of the author of this paper, that issues which dominated hearings of the predecessor committee, such as concerns about the mental health of looked after children; child abuse; Regional School Commissioners; and the accountability of schools in the academy sector remain at the forefront of the committees work.

The new Chair, Neil Carmichael set out his vision for the committee in an interview with the House Magazine. Three roles were highlighted, ‘the traditional role of being “quite robust in our scrutiny of government”; being a “thought-provoking tool of the parliamentary system”, actively contributing to the formulation of government policy; and breaking down the “silo mentality” in Westminster by working with other committees on areas of common concern.’xxiv

4 Members

Member Party Previous Appointed Left Attendance Service Neil Carmichael Con 2010-15 17-06-15 Lucy Allan Con 06-07-15 Ian Austin Lab 06-07-15 Michelle Donelan Con 06-07-15 Kate Hollern Lab 06-07-15 01-02-16 Marion Fellows SNP 06-07-15 Suella Fernandes Con 06-07-15 Lucy Frazer Con 06-07-15 Catherine McKinnell Lab 01-02-16 Ian Mearns Lab 06-07-15 Caroline Nokes Con 06-07-15 22-02-16 Kate Osamor Lab 06-07-15 01-02-16 Stephen Timms Lab 01-02-16 William Wragg Con 22-02-16 Table 3 – Members of Education Select Committee, July 2015 – March 2016xxv

Neil Carmichael had been a member of the predecessor committee. A former farmer before becoming a university politics lecturer and then a consultant for a law firm which is in Poland. He entered Parliament in 2010.

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Carmichael has served as a school governor in a number of institutions. He told the House Magazine, “I also spent a lot of time as a governor of schools in the north-east so I could see weaknesses in school leadership and the consequence that had for young people, so ever since then I’ve been absolutely determined to improve the quality of leadership and governance.”xxvi

He has stressed on a number of occasions that he is particularly interested in the role of education in improving national productivity, and the importance of linking the two fields of education and business. He said during a debate in Westminster Hall, “We have to work hard at bringing together the world of education and the world of business, the professions and employment in general. That is important not only for education, but for employers and organisations that might extend some form of training. Unless the interface between those sectors and organisations is improved, opportunities will constantly be missed because schools produce one kind of output and businesses require another.”xxvii

He is prepared to be robust in his criticism of the government, he wrote about the response to the former committee’s report on Personal, Social Health and Economic Education, “I can only describe ministers’ reaction to our report as feeble.”xxviii

The 2015 Committee has an interesting geographical spread. Marion Fellows represents a seat in Scotland, which has a very different education system, and all Education matters were devolved under the Scotland Act 1998. Within England there was a “minor concentration” in the mid-southern counties (Stroud – Carmichael; Chippenham – Donelan; Romsey – Nokes; Fareham – Fernandes); and the seats of Mearns and McKinnell are close, they do not border each other. The concentration of Labour members in the North East, which was a characteristic of the predecessor committee has diminished significantly.

Region Ctte Members Total MPs South West 2 55 South East 2 (currently 1) 83 London 1 (Timms replaced Osamor) 73 West Midlands 2 59 East Midlands 0 46 East of England 1 58 North West 2 (previously 1) 75 Yorkshire & Humberside 0 54 North East 2 (previously 1) 29 Table 4 – Constituencies of Members categorised by Region

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Members of the Committee have described their involvement in Education in speeches, interviews and in the biographical information they have supplied to various bodies.

Nature of Involvement Members Teaching Experience Carmichael; Fellows; Wragg, Experience as a Governor of an educational Allan; Carmichael; Fernandes; Mearns; Nokes; body Osamor Co-founder of a school Fernandesxxix Family Involvement Allan; Austin; Donelan; Frazer; Nokes; Involved in Education whilst serving in local Allan (Deputy Chair of Children & Young Government People’s Services); Mearns (Chaired Education Committee); Previously employed in an Educational Hollernxxx Institution (other than as a teacher) Table 5 – Previous/Current Involvement of Members in Education

Six categories of interest can be discerned from the declarations made to the Committee.xxxi

Type Members 1 Donations to campaign funds from donor Allan; Frazer connected to an Educational body 2 Patron of an Educational body Timms 3 Unpaid Board Member or Director of an Carmichael Educational body 4 Governor of an Educational body Fernandes; Mearns; Nokes; Osamor 5 Member of family professionally in Education Frazer 6 Union Membership Hollern (UNISON); Osamor (UNITE); Wragg (ATL) Table 6 – Members Declarations of Interest (Made to Education Committee)

One indicator of a particular interest in a subject area is mentions in Maiden Speeches. Stephen Timms, who joined the committee in February 2016 is the longest serving MP who sits on the current committee. He was elected to the House in June 1994, and had wide ministerial experience in a continuous period from July 1998 to May 2010, including a term as Minister of State in the Department for Education and Skills from June 2001 to May 2002. His maiden speech, which included the traditional description of a new member’s constituency stressed that “Newham needs successful urban regeneration, with investment in our housing and schools.”xxxii

Ian Austin is the next most experienced MP. He told the Commons in his maiden speech, “We also need to improve skills, which is why I want to work with local schools, colleges, the work force, trade unions, employers and business organisations to make boosting skills our No. 1 priority.”xxxiii He also raised the question of rules applying to childrens homes.

In November 2015 he was elected Chair of the Labour Party’s Parliamentary committee on education.xxxiv Neil Carmichael’s maiden speech was made on 2nd June 2010. In his opening remarks he commented upon a previous speaker in the debate, “It was also so right that he emphasised

6 | P a g e the need for special education. That is of pivotal importance, and he should be appreciated for that.”xxxv He went on “I want to talk about education, and I have only two minutes and 46 seconds in which to do so. The Gracious Speech contains some important measures that will benefit Stroud and, indeed, this country. One is the move to academies, but the key thing to remember is that our task is to ensure that all schools are good schools. The issue is not just about the best schools; it is more important to talk about the schools that are having problems and failing, because we have to ensure that everybody can fulfil their lives. There is nothing more heart-breaking than discovering that people cannot do things simply because they have not had a decent education. That must, of course, be the fundamental point about our interest in education.

It is also critical to emphasise the importance of school leadership and management. I have had some experience of dealing with such issues as a governor of a school. I am still a governor of Stroud College, in which I must clearly declare an interest. Leadership and management in schools is critical because the most important thing about schools is the people who are in them-the people who do the teaching, who do the work, who deal with the pupils and who ensure that the pupils are given the best chance. We must never forget that.

Further education is an important subject. Sometimes it is the Cinderella of education, but I want to emphasise how important I think it is. Effectively, it is the facility that can overcome the problem of people who thrive not in schools but in vocations and in the further education environment, so it is absolutely right that the further education sector be helped as much as possible. Reducing the amount of bureaucracy and regulations is clearly one thing that must happen, but we must also tackle the question of funding. That is complicated, but we need to ensure that FE colleges know where the money is coming from. Governance of colleges and schools is important. Governors must recognise and take on their responsibilities, because if we are to have academies we must have capable governors and a governance system that works and ensures that schools are checked.”xxxvi

Ian Mearns’ first speech noted that “From being among the areas with the worst educational achievement, Gateshead is now towards the top on many measures. In almost every aspect of life, Gateshead has been transformed. Education, housing, social care and employment-all have been transformed by the support from a supportive Government and with leadership from a truly inspirational council, but most of all by the resilience, fortitude and hard work of the people of Gateshead themselves.”xxxvii

Caroline Nokes made her maiden speech in a debate on building a high-skilled economy. She told the House,” Even in an area where we are fortunate to have good schools, an excellent university and companies like Ford committed to Britain's manufacturing base, there is still a disconnect between what employers want and the skills of our school leavers. It is critical that the two are matched, and that our education system works with employers to make sure there is no skills gap.”xxxviii

Suella Fernandes was the first of the 2015 class to make her maiden speech. Immediately after the usual formalities of speaking of her predecessor, she told the House that, “More than 1,000 young people travel too far for A-levels, and I hope to see more sixth-form provision within the constituency.”xxxix

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Lucy Allan said “I welcome the expansion of the troubled families initiative announced in the Gracious Speech. It has been so successful in supporting families with the most complex needs, and I particularly welcome this new family-centric approach. Nationally, since 2008 we have seen a rapid increase in the number of children entering the care system. I want to see that decrease because that is no solution for children and it is no way to spend a childhood.”xl

Like her fellow London MP, Stephen Timms 21 years previously, Kate Osamor stressed the links between education and regeneration in her constituency, “Regenerating the wider Edmonton area is focused on improving the shopping centres, creating access to new jobs, and improving the education and health of our local people.”xli

Lucy Frazer told the House, “As the daughter of a teacher who taught in a state primary school in a very deprived area in Leeds, and the granddaughter of a headmaster who founded a technical school in Leicester, recognising as he did that academic education is not the right route for all children, I know that education can transform lives, that education is a driver of social mobility, and that ambition and aspiration are not and should not be the preserve of the few, but of the many.

Equality of opportunity is at the heart of any respectable democratic country. A good education should be available to all, no matter what background they come from or where they live, which is why it is so important that we have a fair funding formula for our education nationally—a formula that provides per pupil funding which is more consistent across the country. Ambition and aspiration are now being talked about by both major parties, and rightly so, but that should not be limited to aspiration for individuals alone. It should encompass our vision for our country.”xlii

William Wragg, in his maiden speech, said, “I also hope that my experience as a teacher will stand me in good stead for pursuing improvements in education for our children, so that they can get the best start in life and fully develop their talents. I would like to place it on the record that the children I have taught and worked with have been the single greatest inspiration to me: their creativity, humour and resilience are truly qualities to be cherished.

I am pleased that the new Government intend to further improve education, particularly in the area of funding by protecting the total schools budget and introducing a fairer funding formula, so that similar pupils get the same funding, no matter what part of the country they live in. The Bill concerns raising the standards in our schools still further through their conversion to academies, where that is deemed to be the most appropriate course of action. Part of the Government’s plan for education over the next five years is to tackle coasting schools. For some of those schools, becoming an academy may be the best route to sustained improvement. However, as my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Education has

8 | P a g e made clear, where head teachers have a plan and the capacity to deliver it, they will be given time to improve on their own.

I welcome the approach that has been taken by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State in engaging with the teaching profession. A collaborative approach is the best way to secure improvements. The Workload Challenge was a positive step from the Government and I would like to see more of that approach. We need to take seriously the issue of teacher retention and morale. Above all, we must endeavour to make the Ofsted process more something that is done with, rather than done to, schools.”xliii

Michelle Donelan asked the House, “So why am I actually here? I am here as a doorman, but not in the conventional sense—let me explain. My father and my grandfather taught me the values of hard work and ambition, and I believe in a Britain where everyone can achieve and get on in life. I really do not think it should matter where you began; it should matter where you are going. To me, therefore, the role of an MP is to open doors for others along the way.

Hard work and ambition are vital for success, but a good education can make the real difference—perhaps it is the most important door of all. Excellent teachers make excellent schools and every child is different, but all need inspiration, encouragement and support. School funding is vital, though, and we must move to a national funding formula as soon as possible—Wiltshire is one of the lowest-funded authorities in the entire country. Now is also a time for stability in education, but we must ensure that our education system meets the needs of our economy, our pupils and our teachers, and of the future of this country.

Vocational training needs to be pushed and promoted, with the stigma challenged. We need to continue to work towards reforming our career education, so that we actually promote the jobs that the economy needs. Expansion of the apprenticeships programme is a good first step but, above all, we need to modernise our education system, incorporating more taster business skills. We just cannot wait any more for entrepreneurs to be born. We need to help foster and develop a “can do, will do” attitude. Education in the UK needs to be more proactive and we must further enhance the link between business and charities, creating the workforce, the entrepreneurs and the volunteers we need. The answer therefore lies in a long- term education plan.

Creating opportunities covers many areas, and I will work hard during my time in this House to create a society in which everyone can achieve their dreams.”xliv

Marion Fellows in her speech noted that in her Scottish constituency of Motherwell and , “The children in the local schools are fully engaged politically, and they are a strong future base. It is about adapting to change, I was told, and having hope, and now we must not let those children down.”xlv

The 2015 Paper identified 11 categories of sources used by members. Such an analysis has not been undertaken this year (but may be for later assessments of the committee). Attendance at many of the hearings suggest a similar pattern, which applies across the whole committee.

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A – Personal Experience B – Issue raised with the MP C – Local information D – Visit by the MP E – Media article F – Earlier evidence taken by the Committee G – Material seen by the MP H – Earlier Report by Committee or observations made during an earlier hearing I – Issue raised within the House of Commons J – Ministerial Communication with MP K – “Other people have said” Table 7 – Classification of sources of information used by Committee Members

Interviews with members confirmed that the current membership shares the views of the predecessor committee members about the values of Constituency work; experience as a councillor; current and previous experience as a school Governor and a close working relationship with local schools for their committee work.

Donelan, Fernandes and Nokes had served on the Public Bill Committee for the Education and Adoption Bill which sat from 30th June to 14th July 2015.

The following opportunities were identified for members of the House of Commons to raise matters about Education outside the Select committee. These are open to all MPs, but an earlier paper by the author considered how Education Select Committee members used these as additional tools for scrutiny. The table below lists the opportunities for the period from the start of the 2015 Parliament.

Type S.O Frequency Oral Questions – Secretary of State Each 5th 15/06/15, 20/07/15, 26/10/15, for Education sitting 30/11/15, 25/01/16, 07/03/16 Monday

Other Departmental Oral Questions Each sitting When an issue involves day except responsibilities of that Fridays department – eg. Apprenticeships, Basic Maths & English skills, (BIS), Child Abuse (Home), Homophobic Bullying, Encouraging girls into STEM careers (Equalities – but questions currently answered by Secretary of State for Education who is also Minister for Women and Equalities) Prime Ministers Questions Each sitting Frequently used by backbenchers Wednesday (constituency issues or general matter of current or constant interest)

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Business Questions Each sitting Questions generally begin with - Thursday “may we have a debate…”, “Will my right hon. Friend arrange for a debate to be held in Government time…”, “Will the Leader of the House find time for a debate on …”

Ministerial Statements As required School Expansion 19/10/15 Urgent Questions As required

Opposition Business Debates 14(2) 20 days per Skills and Productivity 17/06/15, session Further Education 18/11/15, Student Maintenance Grants 19/1/16 Back Bench Debates 14(4) 35 days per session (of which up to 7 may be in Westminst er Hall) Daily Adjournment Debates 9(7) Daily May cover national subjects as well as local issues Estimates Days 54 3 days per ‘for debates on Select Committee session Reports’xlvi

Primary Legislation - Government Education and Adoption Bill Primary Legislation - PMBs 14(8) 13 Fridays per session 10 Minute Rule Bills 23 Tues & Weds from 7th week of the session Secondary Legislation 16,17, Frequent Usually without debate. 151 Consideration by Statutory Instruments (Joint Committee); or the Select Committee on Statutory Instruments.

Westminster Hall Debates 10, Most commonly used forum for 14(4) debate. Table 8 – Opportunities for Scrutiny of Education matters in the House of Commons

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5 Inquiries

Inquiry Resolution Inquiry No of Report Report to Inquire Announced Hearings Published Reference Responsibilities of the 08/07/15 07/09/15 1 Secretary of State for Education Responsibilities of Ofsted 08/07/15 16/07/15 1 Responsibilities of Ofqual 08/07/15 03/09/15 1 Role of Regional Schools 15/07/15 15/07/15 4 20/01/16 1st Report – Commissioners HC 401 Responsibilities of the 09/09/15 17/09/15 1 Children’s Commissioner for England The Recruitment & 09/09/15 16/10/15 1 Retention of Teachers The mental health and 16/09/15 18/09/15 3 well-being of looked after children Holocaust Education 16/09/15 21/09/15 1 24/01/16 2nd Report – HC 480 Purpose & Quality of 04/11/15 30/11/15 1 Education in England Narey Review of 25/11/15 16/12/15 1 children’s residential care Social Work Reform 06/01/16 12/01/16 0 Appointment of the 08/03/16 1 Ofqual Chief Regulator Education, Skills and Productivity (with the Business, Innovation & Skills Committee) Foundation years & the Government’s Life Chances Strategy (with the Work & Pensions Committee) Table 9 – Inquiries undertaken by the Education Select Committee July 2015-March 2016

In addition the committee published, on 15th July 2015, two special reports after the Government gave its responses to the inquiries held by the predecessor committee on Apprenticeships and Traineeships for 16 to 19 year olds (1st Special Report) and Extremism in Schools (2nd Special Report)

The inquiry into the role of Regional Schools Commissioners gives an interesting insight into the work of the Education Committee as the Department for Education develops its own structures and policies. In September 2014 eight commissioners were appointed as civil servants working for the DfE. There had previously been, and continues to be a National Schools Commissioner to whom the Regional Schools Commissioners are responsible.xlvii

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The Committee noted that, “Frank Green, the national Schools Commissioner, described this as a “shift in emphasis from decision-making in Whitehall to more involvement by schools at a regional level”. Their role was expanded from 1 July 2015 to include responsibility for approving the conversion of underperforming maintained schools into academies and deciding on their sponsors, and further expansion is proposed in Education and Adoption Bill currently before Parliament. The budgeted running costs for RSC offices in 2015–16 are approximately £6m.

Our predecessor committee considered the responsibilities of the RSCs as part of a wider inquiry into academies and free schools, noting that there was “some confusion over their role and scope”. The Committee outlined a number of concerns, and recommended that the Government:

. clarify what the role of RSCs is and how it will develop in the near future; . review and increase the number of schools commissioners; and, . as a matter of urgency, clarify the respective roles of local authorities and RSCs in relation to academies. . The Government’s response touched only briefly on these points. The growing significance of the work of RSCs, the increasing number of academies, and the passing of the first year of the RSCs’ work prompted us to return to the developing role of the Regional Schools Commissioners in greater detail, and to make this the subject of our first report of the 2015 Parliament.”xlviii

The manner in which these comments are written conveys the concerns that the members have demonstrated in various hearings both in the predecessor and current Committee.

Forty written submissions were received and oral evidence was taken on four occasions, one in Coventry during a visit by the committee to the West Midlands. The report was the first to be published, and included twenty seven recommendations. These again contain clear unease by the committee – examples include –

“The existing description of the role of the national Schools Commissioner is nebulous and does not make clear what is required from the position. We recommend that the Government sets out more clearly the role of the national Schools Commissioner and how it relates to the expanding role of the RSCs.”xlix

“RSCs occupy an increasingly powerful position in the education system, but their responsibilities in relation to other components of the system remain unclear to many of our witnesses. The landscape of oversight, intervention, inspection and accountability is now complex and difficult for many of those involved in education, not least parents, to navigate. We recommend that the Government reflect on the need to improve understanding of the role of the RSCs.”l

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“We have received evidence that there is too much variation in the approach that RSCs take to their work and the standards they apply. RSCs should be identifying local challenges that impede school improvement so that these issues can be addressed; they must not demand or expect different standards in different regions.

We recommend that the Government ensure a greater level of consistency in the work of RSCs, and explicitly include national Schools Commissioner responsibility for co-ordination and consistency of standards in the job description for the.”li

These and other comments, express the unease about the current landscape for scrutiny, and many of the recommendations indicate that the Committee is intending to return to particular aspects of concern in the future.

6 Assessment

Andrew Tyrie told the House Magazine that elections for the chairmanships and membership of select committees had, “brought renewed energy to Westminster…Select Committees are increasingly offering a new style of political discourse, less adversial and partisan, more conversation.”lii

The Committee is still only in its first nine months of operation. It is already working towards the objectives set out by its new Chair, which are reproduced on page four of this paper. Two are quite clearly being met. It is the third, ”actively contributing to the formulation of government policy” which perhaps merits further research during the course of this Parliament.

i Standing Order 122A. Standing Orders of the House of Commons: Public Business. 2015 p130 ii 3rd June 2015 HANSARD HC DEB 3 JUN 2015 Series 6. Vol 596. No.10 Col 704. See also Standing Order 122B Addendum to the Standing Orders of the House of Commons Relating to Public Business 3 June 2015. iii http://www.parliament.uk/business/news/2015/june/winning-candidates-for-select-committee-chairs- announced/ iv Standing Orders of the House of Commons: Public Business. 2015 pxvii v Standing Order 152. Standing Orders of the House of Commons: Public Business. 2015 pp175-8 vi http://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/commons-select/education-committee/ vii http://www.parliament.uk/documents/commons- committees/Education/Formal%20minutes%208%20July%202015%20-%203%20February%202016.pdf viii Morgan, J.D. Opposition Members and the Education Select Committee ix http://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/commons-select/education- committee/inquiries/ (under each x 4th March 2010 HANSARD HC DEB 4 MAR 2010 Series 6. Vol xxxx Col 1095 xi Education Committee: Formal Minutes Session 2015-16 http://www.parliament.uk/documents/commons- committees/Education/Formal%20minutes%208%20July%202015%20-%203%20February%202016.pdf xii Holocaust Education. 2nd Report of Session 2015-16 HC 480 xiii http://www.parliament.uk/documents/commons- committees/Education/Formal%20minutes%208%20July%202015%20-%203%20February%202016.pdf xiv Closing the gap: the work of the Education Committee in the 2010-15 Parliament. 8th Report of Session 2014-15 HC 1120 p5 xv Op cit. p8 xvi Op. cit. p8 xvii Op. cit. p9

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xviii Budget Statement 16th March 2016 https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/budget-2016-george- osbornes-speech xix Press Release - http://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/commons- select/education-committee/news-parliament-2015/chair-responds-budget-announcement-15-16/ xx Op. cit. p11 xxi Op. cit. p12 xxii Op. cit. p13 xxiii Op. cit. p14 xxiv The House Magazine 10 July 2015 pp13-16 (p16) xxv 6th July 2015 HANSARD HC DEB 06 JUL 2015 Series 6. Vol 598 No.28 Col 149: 1st February 2016 HANSARD HC DEB 01 FEB 2016 Series 6. Vol 605 No.108 Col 750: 22nd February 2016 HANSARD HC DEB 22 FEB 2016 Series 6. Vol 606 No.117 Col 115 xxvi The House Magazine 10 July 2015 pp13-16 (p14) xxvii 9th June 2015 HANSARD HC DEB 9 JUN 2015 Series 6. Vol 596. No.13 Col 38WH xxviii Check source xxix The Politicos Guide to the New House of Commons 2015 xxx The Politicos Guide to the New House of Commons 2015 xxxi http://www.parliament.uk/documents/commons- committees/Education/Formal%20minutes%208%20July%202015%20-%203%20February%202016.pdf Appendix 1 xxxii 29th June 1994 HANSARD HC DEB 29 JUN 1994 Series 6 Vol 245 Col 878 xxxiii 23rd May 2005 HANSARD HC DEB 23 MAY 2005 Series 6. Vol 434. No 77 Col 483 xxxiv Ian Austin Press Release http://www.ianaustin.co.uk/austin_elected_to_chair_labour_education_committee xxxv 2nd June 2010 HANSARD HC DEB 2 JUN 2010 Series 6 Vol 510 No 8 Col 514 xxxvi Op. cit. Col 516 xxxvii 9th June 2010 HANSARD HC DEB 9 JUN 2010 Series 6. Vol 511 No 12 Col 388 xxxviii 17th June 2010 HANSARD HC DEB 17 JUN 2010 Series 6. Vol 511 No 17 Col 1087 xxxix 1st June 2015 HANSARD HC DEB 1 JUN 2015 Series 6. Vol 596 No 8 Col 356 xl 2nd June 2015 HANSARD HC DEB 2 JUN 2015 Series 6. Vol 596 No 9 Col 514 xli 2nd June 2015 HANSARD HC DEB 2 JUN 2015 Series 6. Vol 596 No 9 Col 538 xlii 4th June 2015 HANSARD HC DEB 4 JUN 2015 Series 6. Vol 596 No 11 Col 827 xliii 22nd June 2015 HANSARD HC DEB 22 JUN 2015 Series 6. Vol 597 No 20 Col 673 xliv 13th July 2015 HANSARD HC DEB 13 JUL 2015 Series 6. Vol 598 No 32 Cols 637-638 xlv 16th July 2015 HANSARD HC DEB 16 JUL 2015 Series 6 Vol 598 No 35 Col 1177 xlvi Rogers, R and Walters, R. How Parliament Works. 7th Edition. Routledge, 2015. p75 xlvii DfE Website: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/schools-commissioners-group/about/our- governance xlviii The Role of Regional Schools Commissioners. 1st Report of 2015-16 HC 401 p5 xlix Recommendation 2. Op. Cit. p50 l Recommendation 3. Op. Cit. p50 li Recommendation 5 Op. Cit. p50 lii Tyrie A., The House Magazine 10 July 2015 pp30-31

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