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  Education and Inspections Bill - Number of votes needed on a governing body to change a school's status - rejected
  
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  The majority Not Contents defeated an amendment[1] to the [http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld200506/ldbills/149/06149.i-vii.html Education and Inspections Bill]. This would have required school governing boards who wanted to move to Trust status to have a two thirds majority rather than a simple majority.  Usually school board decisions only need a simple majority, but proponents of this amendment thought that acquiring Trust status was a sufficiently momentous decision that it should require a stronger mandate. However, the amendment was rejected. More information on what it means to be a 'Foundation' or 'Trust' school can be found [http://www.publicwhip.org.uk/division.php?date=2006-03-15&number=192&dmp=1074 here].
  
  The main aims of the Education and Inspections Bill were to[2]:
  
  * 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] [http://www.theyworkforyou.com/lords/?gid=2006-10-19c.888.0 Baroness Sharp of Guildford], House of Lords, 19 October 2006
  * [2] [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/bbc_parliament/4787638.stm BBC Summary of the Education and Inspections Bill], 8 March 2006
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  --- COMMENTS AND NOTES ---
  
  (put thoughts and notes for other researchers here)
  