The majority Aye voters agreed that the Education and Inspections Bill should be read a Third Time.

It has now passed all its stages in the House of Commons and moves to the House of Lords for further deliberation before it becomes law as an Act of Parliament.

The main aims of the Education and Inspections Bill were to^[1]:

• Allow schools to achieve 'foundation' or 'trust' status - this gives governing bodies greater freedom to manage the school.
• Reaffirm the existing ban on selection by ability and proposes a ban on interviewing.
• Give local authorities greater scope to intervene more quickly in failing schools.
• Ensure local authorities provide free school transport for the poorest families.
• Enable nutritional standards to be applied to all food and drink on school premises.
• Allow staff to discipline children for bad behaviour even outside of school.
• Ensure parents are held responsible for excluded pupils.

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• [1] BBC Summary of the Education and Inspections Bill, 8 March 2006

“Staff at foundation or voluntary schools with religious character

(1) In section 58 of SSFA 1998 (appointment and dismissal of certain teachers at schools with a religious character), omit subsection (4) (which prevents the head teacher of a foundation or voluntary controlled school being a reserved teacher).

(2) In section 60 of SSFA 1998 (staff at foundation or voluntary school with religious character)—

(a) in subsection (4), after “(whether foundation or voluntary controlled)” insert “in a case where the head teacher is not to be a reserved teacher”, and

(b) in subsection (6), after “voluntary aided school” insert “in Wales”.”

*Pressure of other work means MPs or Lords are not always available to vote – it does not always indicate they have abstained. Therefore, being absent on a less important vote makes a disproportionatly small difference.