Thread by @teamsquarepeg

As a fledgling org & with attendance & persistent absence largely ignored until we started campaigning in 2018, this has been an eye opening (if not intense) experience for Square Peg and all families wishing to raise their concerns about these areas in #SchoolsBill. But…

https://twitter.com/teamsquarepeg/status/1547877460363988992

…what it’s enabled is authentic & meaningful engagement & participation by the public with the Upper House. Parents & carers have been able to (and will continue to) exercise and leverage their power as constituents & grassroots lobbyists.

This is enormously important as it demonstrates relevance & direct action to ordinary people who may have held an opinion about politics or the House of Lords as being inaccessible or unnecessary.

Without doubt, the considered calm of the House’s process in comparison to the baying disorder & sensory overwhelm of the Other Place has been a welcome salve to a frantic & concerning agenda for families. Exercising democratic process has been encouraging & we are grateful.

We are seeing many groups come together and witnessing ordered process. What has been searingly obvious is the lack of time afforded & planned for this Bill, which highlights a degree of disregard and disconnect with grassroots stakeholders & experienced parliamentarians.

Government’s determination to power the Bill thru in the face of so many varied & wide reaching concerns should be a flag to pause & reflect & reconsider. Had the Government’s @educationgovuk worked in a more inclusive & co-productive way, might the Bill’s passage be different?

Strong & stable leadership should include timely reflection in the place of reaction. It is proactive in its engagement & consideration. It is democratic & iterative. Education policy impacts the very fabric of our communities. We can do better, together.

#3AsksforPart3 #BackAmendment18 @LordStorey @natalieben @LordLucasCD @NatWei @GreenJennyJones @Fox_Claire @LordPhilofBrum @LordJimKnight @SalBrinton @dianabarran @Rachel_deSouza @Bren4Bassetlaw @StephenMorganMP @EdwardJDavey @edwardtimpson notfineinschool.co.uk/the-schools-bi…

@SEC_Tweets @ncbtweets @SpcialNdsJungle @sos_sen @SEND_Action @SEND_CA @PACTenquiries @Rethinking_Ed @ukEdge @Fededucation @bigchange_ @CYPMentalHealth @CentreforMH @YoungMindsUK @DCPcampaign @Childrenengland @ChildSocPol @IPSEAcharity @aultering @SuitableEd @NotFineinSchool

A new nugget shared by a Noble Lord which Square Peg had not heard before: ‘the public should regard Parliament as their House’. Golly. That’s a truth to mull over.