The schools bill has crashed spectacularly in the Lords, so spectacularly that ministers have withdrawn its first 18 clauses – without which it loses its raison d’être. There can be no clearer indication of a rudderless and exhausted government. Hailed as a major piece of legislation, lauded as the means by which the governance of our schools would be rationalised, ministerial aims to have all schools in strong MATs by 2030 now look hugely ambitious and frankly unachievable.
The pressing question, surely, is: why was this allowed to happen? Why did a bill that was clearly so rushed and contained such badly drawn legislation ever get to the Lords, only to be annihilated by the less-than-friendly fire of previous Conservative secretaries of state. Kenneth Baker warned: “It’s a real grab for power by the DfE. […] I think they should be watched.”
