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The Education Bill was introduced into the House of Commons on Wednesday 26 January 2011 and received Royal Assent this week.
The Education Act 2011 takes forward the legislative proposals in the Schools White Paper, The Importance of Teaching and measures from the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills to improve skills, including two elements of the reforms to higher education funding.
The Act expands the academies programme to allow 16-19 academies as well as alternative provision academies. It also includes new powers to address underperforming schools granting new powers to Michael Gove, the Education Secretary, to intervene to close underperforming schools. Previously the Education Secretary could only recommend the move to local councils The Act also allows for a refocusing of Ofsted inspections on areas that matter most to parents and the power to set up an entitlement to free early years schooling for two-year-olds at a disadvantage
The Act gives further powers to teachers allowing them them to search pupils’ clothing, bags and lockers for equipment such as mobile phones, iPods and other electronic gadgets. In the past, teachers could only search for weapons, drugs, alcohol and stolen goods. In a further development, the Act also paves the way for the introduction of “no notice” detentions for pupils who misbehave. This abolishes the current requirement for at least 24 hours' warning before children are kept behind at the end of the school day in an attempt to establish a more direct link between bad behaviour and related punishments. Nick Gibb, the Schools Minister, said: "This new legislation hands to teachers all the powers they need to ensure that every classroom is a safe and ordered place where children are free to learn.
The Act also Another key provision which came into force was the late amendment designed to tidy up the confusion over continued PFI payments by Local Authorities. There was concern over whether Local Authorities would be acting unlawfully by continuing to pay unitary charge to a PFI provider after conversion of that school to an academy. Section 58 of the Education Act amends the Academies Act 2010 to include a provision that Local Authorities can continue PFI payments in respect of Academies.
