To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what consultation was held with parents before the publication of the parents charter.

In recent years the Government have commissioned a number of surveys of parents' knowledge about the education system. These showed that some parents were unaware even of their most basic rights in relation to their children's education, and that the majority would welcome more information about what went on in schools. The parents charter clearly sets out parents' current rights; it also explains the Government's proposals to improve access to information about the quality of education and standards achieved in schools.