The fuss kicked up by the Conservatives about the education bill over the past month has been about trying to land political blows – not making the lives of children in England safer or better. MPs’ horror at sexual exploitation gangs is sincere, but attempting to bolt a public inquiry on to Bridget Phillipson’s bill was an ill-judged attempt to sour the mood around an important piece of progressive legislation. That amendment was defeated. But ministers were rattled when Kemi Badenoch echoed complaints by academy leaders that the bill will cramp their style. Wording was altered so that they will not, after all, be obliged to pay teachers in accordance with nationally agreed pay scales.
Ministers should now draw a line and stand their ground. The shortage of teachers in key subjects is a problem that got worse under the Conservatives. It is questionable whether tighter pay rules would have caused the harm claimed, and Sir Keir Starmer was right to stress that there is nothing remarkable about requiring teachers in all schools to be qualified. Mrs Badenoch’s jibe – are Olympians not qualified to teach PE? – was a rhetorical flourish, not a serious point.
