Schools Bill is dropped in third U-turn

LEGISLATION to improve school standards and increase attendance has been dropped by ministers in the third government about-turn in a week.

Gillian Keegan, the Education Secretary, confirmed yesterday the Schools Bill had been withdrawn following opposition in the House of Lords.

She told MPS on the education select committee that the Bill would not progress to a third reading as parliamentary time had been taken up by measures to provide economic stability and tackle the cost of living crisis.

The move comes after a climbdown on mandatory housing targets and a reversal of the ban on onshore wind farms earlier this week.

The Schools Bill, drawn up under Boris Johnson to “raise standards across the country”, was originally intended to cover issues including school funding, regulation of academies, tackling truancy and banning unsuitable teachers.

The Government had already folded on key parts of the Bill, such as plans to give civil servants more control over schools, following a rebellion in the House of Lords by several Tory peers.

Key remaining reforms included introducing a register for homeschooled children and protections for faith schools so they can join multiacademy trusts.

Ms Keegan said the Government was still committed to legislating on those measures.

However, she said that she could not commit to a timescale.

The scrapping of the Bill is a blow to Tory backbenchers who had planned to introduce an amendment that would force Rishi Sunak to revise his decision to keep the ban on new grammar schools.