Posted on Wednesday 14th Sep 2016
Education Secretary Justine Greening says she will not be pushing forward with moves to scrap the parent governor role from schools in England.
She told the Commons Education Committee parent governors often played a "vital role" in school improvement.
The proposal to remove the need for academies to have elected parents on governing bodies emerged in March in plans to make all schools academies.
It sparked an outcry from MPs, schools and teaching unions.
Answering a question about the issue from Labour's Stephen Timms, Ms Greening said: "One way we can ensure that schools who are doing a less good job improve is getting parents more involved.
"Often, and I've seen this as a constituency MP, when schools turn around it's when parents become more engaged and more invested in the school's success and that helps build the school from the outside as well as the hard work teachers are doing on the inside.
"It doesn't happen overnight, it takes years to do but parents are part of how success gets delivered so I do not think we should proceed with that."
The planned removal of the parent governor role, in the Education for All White Paper, was widely criticised, with Jeremy Corbyn calling it an attack on parents.
David Cameron defended the plans, saying it did not mean that parents would be removed from governing bodes.
Latest News
05/02/19Ban phones in schools, says minister Nick Gibb
Pupils should be banned from taking smartphones into school, the minister for school standards in England has told the BBC. Nick Gibb spoke out ahead of the government publishing new guidance for schools, expected to address internet safety, social media and online gaming. It is expected to say children should be taught to limit the amount of time they spend online. Schools have the power to ban phones from being taken on to the premises. But government policy is that it is the responsibility of head teachers to determine whether this is appropriate.
21/01/19Government to fund 2,900 school exchanges for poorer pupils
Secondary schools in England will be able to apply for money to take poorer pupils overseas on school exchanges
01/11/18Education spending now 'skewed' to poor following 'remarkable shift'
There has been a "remarkable shift" in poorer children now receiving a bigger share of education spending in England, says the Institute for Fiscal Studies.
21/09/18Kent Teaching Solutions announced as supplier through Supply Teachers Framework
Kent Teaching Solutions are proud to announce that we have been awarded one of the select positions a s a supplier on the Supply Teachers Framework.
21/06/18Ofsted chief inspector backs ban on phones in schools
The chief inspector of Ofsted is backing head teachers who ban mobile phones to prevent bad behaviour.