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LEGISLATIVE PROGRAMME PROMISES TO SPREAD EXCELLENCE IN EDUCATION AND IMPROVE SERVICES FOR ALL CHILDREN
14 May 2008Children, Schools and Families Secretary Ed Balls said today that the Government’s Draft Legislative Programme will help to transform the lives of children and families, support parents, drive up standards in underperforming schools, maintain high standards in the exams system, and help children, whatever their background, to achieve their full potential and deliver excellence for all. Central to the Bill will be new powers for the Secretary of State to ensure local authorities intervene early to address underperforming schools where there is cause for concern.The Education and Skills Bill would:
• establish an independent regulator of examinations and tests (Ofqual) and a development agency for curriculum, assessment and qualifications (QCDA), which will continue to maintain high standards and confidence in the exams and qualifications system;
• provide for a new reserve power for the Secretary of State to ensure that local authorities use their powers appropriately to intervene on a timely basis in seriously underperforming schools;
• reform Pupil Referral Units and strengthen local partnerships to provide better support for vulnerable children and improve behaviour and attendance. A White Paper will set out proposals and explore different ways of providing alternative education, including new structures to provide high quality vocational education;
• strengthen Children’s Trusts to take responsibility for improving children’s lives by joining up local services, with a particular focus on supporting children with additional needs;
• streamline arrangements for 14-19 education and training including transferring funding and responsibility to local authorities for 16 – 18 education;
• reform to strengthen the accountability of schools to parents, giving them a bigger say on how to raise standards and whether new schools are needed in an area;
• as announced in the Children’s Plan in December, we will take steps to ensure that new and existing performance management arrangements for teachers are utilised effectively;
• set out how pupils who are falling behind will receive targeted support to help them keep up, including, where appropriate, one to one tuition. We want parents to be supported as partners in their children’s education and will shortly seek the views of parents on these proposals and other ideas. If necessary we will legislate to do this but initially plan to consult on: • how to engage parents better in their children’s schools and their learning;
• improving access to information from their child’s school - on the school and on their child’s progress, behaviour and attendance;
• plans that every child at secondary school will have a personal tutor who knows them well and is the main point of contact for parents.
The Prime Minister said: “Attaining the highest of education standards as we expand opportunity is the theme of the new Education Bill - for schools and life long learning. “It is unfair to consign any child to a poor school or even one that is coasting along without the ambition to do better. So having legislated this year for education to 18 there will be a second education bill to support our plan to ensure that, by 2011, no school is underperforming.There will be the first independent qualifications system to guarantee to parents the highest standards. There will be more power for parents to receive regular information on their children's progress and, as we expand academies, reform to strengthen the accountability of schools to parents, giving them a bigger say on how to raise standards and whether new schools are needed in an area.”Ed Balls said: “In the Children’s Plan we set out a long-term vision to improve schools and deliver excellence for all through a step-change in the way parents and families are supported to deal with the new challenges faced by young people in the 21st century. “These proposals provide the building blocks for our reforms. “We are ambitious for every child. Thanks to the hard work of teachers and local partners, schools have been transformed in the last ten years. But every single child - whatever their background and wherever they go to school - deserves an excellent education and the chance to reach their full potential. “That is why I will ensure that local authorities use their existing powers to intervene early to help seriously underperforming schools improve, where there is clear cause for concern. And I am also determined to give local areas the funding and support they need to break ingrained cycles of deprivation and low attainment. Pupils and parents deserve no less.“Supporting parents as partners in their children’s learning is also crucial to providing an excellent education for every child. “We will achieve our ambitions for all children by raising standards, engaging parents as partners in their children’s learning, and co-ordinating services around children’s needs.”
Editor's Notes
This press notice relates to 'England'
1.Details of the Education and Skills Bill are contained in the Government’s green paper Preparing Britain for the Future – the Draft Legislative Programme 2008-09. This sets out the UK Government’s plans for legislative and key non-legislative action in next year’s Parliamentary session. See http://www.CommonsLeader.gov.uk/draftprogramme 2.The bill also sets out measures to further establish apprenticeships and these are referred to in DIUS’ press notice, available at 3.>http://www.dius.gov.uk3. If you want to make your voice heard, you can comment on the programme. See http://www.CommonsLeader.gov.uk/YourVoice You can also see what is going on in your region
Site link: www.CommonsLeader.gov.uk/regionalactivity.
Contact Details
Public Enquiries 0870 000 2288, info@dcsf.gsi.gov.uk
Press Notice 2008/0090
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