Parliamentary petitions about schools. Part 1
The website that sends your hot takes to parliament
A relatively recent addition to the United Kingdom’s parliamentary democracy is the website:
https://petition.parliament.uk/
On this website, you can start a petition. If a petition gets 10000 signatures, then it is promised that the government will respond. If a petition gets 100000 signatures, then it will be “considered” for a debate in parliament.
Due to the general election, all petitions have now been closed. Just before the deadline, I searched for open petitions that included “schools”. I found a mix of serious issues and strange grievances.1 I think it is an interesting snapshot of what educational discussions are taking place among some sections of the public.2
A petition with over one hundred thousand signatures
Allow students to be taken out of school for two weeks a year without penalty
Families face school fines for taking their children out of school to go on affordable holidays. This can be a particular issue for low-income families, and families with children that have additional needs, who want or need to avoid busier and more expensive periods.
More details
I feel these families are being discriminated against as they may not find it possible to travel outside of term time, as it could be too costly or overwhelming, with travel, queues, noise, busy airports, busy public transport, busy resorts etc.
We think it's unfair that these families and children might not be able to go on holiday because they can't take time off during term time. Parents may also have additional needs that would make travelling at busy times difficult.
Incredibly, this received 254,295 signatures. The government’s response was fairly dismissive. They correctly pointed out:
Absences for term-time holidays also cause unnecessary disruption to learning, making it more difficult for teachers to plan lessons and cover the curriculum, which is also disruptive for the other pupils in the class. If every child were to be taken out of school for two weeks, this would have significant consequences for teachers and for other children.
Petitions with over ten thousand signatures
Pause Ofsted inspections and reform how school performance is evaluated
This petition is calling for routine Ofsted inspections to be paused so that the recommendations of the Beyond Ofsted inquiry can be implemented, moving to a system of self-evaluation by schools, supported by external school improvement partners, and a more limited role for Ofsted.
More details
The Beyond Ofsted inquiry has provided us with fully researched and tangible recommendations for the future of school inspections - change that could transform education in England and the lives of students, teachers and leaders.
For significant reform to happen, we believe a pause in routine inspections must happen so that government and key stakeholders can work together on delivering the inquiry's recommendations.
This can be a pivotal moment in education if teachers and parents get behind the inquiry's findings. We have an opportunity here for real change!
This received 51,063 signatures. While I understand that people want a break from inspection, the “Beyond Ofsted inquiry” is not a serious body, just the education establishment objecting to any part of the education system they don’t control. Self-evaluation instead of inspection is not a serious policy. Still, I’m surprised this hasn’t got more signatures. I’m not surprised to see that the government response was, again, dismissive.
The government remains committed to the regular Ofsted inspection of all schools. Inspection plays a vital role in providing assurance that pupils are receiving a high-quality education and are safe.
A petition that fell short of ten thousand signatures
Introduce law to require schools to allow prayer practices
We feel that prayer is vital for some students in school and denying it is discrimination. We encourage Parliament to protect students' rights and religious freedom to pray in school in law.
More details
Prayer, a cornerstone for many students, can offer comfort and spiritual guidance. By ensuring all students can pray freely, we could create a more inclusive environment. We think that schools who do not allow prayer create gaps in students' religious rights. Clear legislation could provide schools with a framework to accommodate prayer practices while respecting everyone's rights. Parliament must act for inclusive schools and protect students' rights.
This, with 8,628 signatures is presumably in response to the court case involving Michaela Community School which did not provide a prayer room or allow organised prayer at break and lunch times. While I don’t object to schools accommodating religious observances, it seems to me this is best left to school leaders to decide for themselves, rather than a right to be protected by legislation.
The best of the rest
Here (and in Part 2) are some of the remaining petitions I found interesting. Most fall into one of the following categories.
Petitions that received more support than I would have expected;
Petitions that received less support than I would have expected;
Petitions that raise an issue that I didn’t know anyone cared about;
Petitions which feature a grievance parents have with their child’s school;
Petitions that amused me.
I will not say which of these fall into which category. I will also edit these heavily, as some are repetitive or lack interesting details.
Allow SEND children to be taken out of school once a year without penalty
We want the Government to make it so parents of SEND children can take their child out of school once a year without facing any penalty. This would enable parents to take SEND children on holiday outside of school holidays, when everyone being on holiday can be overwhelming.
More details
Current rules mean that where parents feel they have no choice but to take their SEND child out of school during term time, so they can go on a holiday without their child being overwhelmed, they can be fined, and their child's attendance record suffers. We believe this is unfair…
4,713 signatures.
Ensure GCSE students have support materials for maths and science exams in 2025
Ensure students sitting GCSEs in 2025 have support materials, in the form of formulae and revised equation sheets, in the exams for GCSE mathematics, physics and combined science. This has been provided in previous years, and is planned for 2024 GCSEs, due to the effects of the pandemic…
4,426 signatures
Fund music at state schools to the amount spent by private schools
We believe that the enrichment an experience of music-making offers is disproportionately valuable in terms of stimulating the imagination and creativity of students in other areas. Studies have found that schools with good quality music often have higher academic outcomes in other fields.
2,359 signatures
Provide Funding for Neurodiversity Diagnostic Assessments in State Schools
Provide direct funding for neurodiversity diagnostic assessments in state schools. These could improve diagnosis of students and help them to receive the support they require. This should include funding for the involvement of educational psychologists in the assessment process.
905 signatures
Reverse the decision to allow Ofsted one-word judgements to remain.
We want the Government to reverse this decision and abolish one-word overall judgements. We believe that they are harmful and misleading.
More details
In January a report from the cross-party Education Select Committee called for an alternative to the current single-word overall judgements. The government rejected the Select Committee's recommendation and ignored coroner’s concerns raised in a Prevention of Future Deaths report and raised by education professionals. We don't believe that they sufficiently quantified what the significant benefits are linked to single word judgements for schools or parents.
755 signatures
Abolish fines for parents who take their children out of school
We want the Government to stop local authorities and schools from fining parents for taking their children out of school during term time. We think it is unacceptable of the government to intervene into family life in this way. Schools are educators not enforcers and should not dictate family life.
More details
We think that these fines are a stealth tax from a Government that interferes in people's lives
656 signatures
Ensure fair grading for GCSE and A Level students in 2024 due to lost learning
We want the Government to work with Ofqual to ensure that students sitting exams in 2024 are given special consideration, such as additional marks or leniency with grade boundaries, to account for lost learning for this group…
538 signatures
Require all school and college staff to attend Neurodiversity training
We would like the Government to make it mandatory for all school and college staff (who work directly with, or supervise students) to attend Neurodiversity training, so they can apply these skills within the school environment.
More details
Many students are neurodiverse. We believe many day-to-day teaching staff do not have the sufficient skills and knowledge required for working with neurodiverse students correctly.
367 signatures
Make Level 2 Understanding Autism mandatory across all education and businesses
Make it mandatory for all schools, higher education, businesses and public services to have at least 1 person trained in Level 2 Understanding Autism at a minimum….
338 signatures
Create rights to authorised school absence for family events
I think the Government should introduce authorised school absences for important family events for up to 10 working days a year. I think that current policy places burden on families to choose between a child's school attendance and crucial family events…
197 signatures
Reform the curriculum to prioritise outdoor learning and the outdoor environment
We want the Government to prioritise opportunities for learning outdoors and learning about the outdoor environment in the national curriculum. We advocate for more hours to be dedicated and made mandatory for outdoor learning in state schools across England.
More details
Outdoor learning can foster holistic development, enhance physical, mental, and emotional well-being. It can cultivate essential life skills like teamwork, problem-solving, and environmental stewardship. Prioritising this and making it mandatory in the curriculum could provide equitable access for all children, regardless of background.
137 signatures
With that last one, we have probably moved into niche issues rather than ongoing debates. That probably means I should stop there and move on to other topics. However, I found some petitions with fewer than 100 signatures fascinating. It is interesting to see what some people think about education, even if they only speak for a few dozen people. I accept, though, that I can’t claim they give any insight into education in general. I will leave them for Part 2, so feel free to ignore that post if obscure opinions about education are not of interest to you.3
For obvious reasons, I have ignored search results that only mentioned schools in passing.
And just to be clear, the picture is AI-generated, it is not somebody responsible for a petition. It is also not Michael Palin. Or Phil Beadle.
This is my subtle way of begging you not to unsubscribe if Part 2 makes you wonder why you are reading it.