Stronger accountability, increased intervention in stuck schools and faster school improvement were at the heart of a major speech delivered by Labour’s Education Secretary.
Speaking at the Centre for Social Justice, Bridget Phillipson laid out plans for a new era for school standards and delivering on the Prime Minister’s Plan for Change – breaking the link between background and success.
• Overhaul of accountability and Ofsted inspection announced, essential to delivering high and rising standards for every child
• New school improvement teams backed by over £20m to tackle ‘stuck’ schools failing to improve, to give every child a good local school
• Education Secretary sets out vision to reform, renew and modernise the education system breaking down the barriers to opportunity and giving every child the best start in life
This includes an excellent teacher for every classroom, a high-quality curriculum for every school and a core offer of excellence for every parent so that every child can achieve and thrive.
The Secretary of State announced new plans to tackle forgotten schools as part of proposals for a significantly strengthened school accountability system that works for parents.
There are more than 72 ‘stuck’ schools in the South East which have received consecutive poor Ofsted judgements. Across England, those attending these schools leave primary school with results 14 percentage points worse on average and secondary school with results a grade per subject worse on average.
Plans unveiled by the Education Secretary today, and backed by the MP for Amanda Martin, provide for a stronger, faster system, spearheaded by an initial £20m investment in new regional improvement teams, known as RISE teams which will prioritise these stuck schools. They will draw up bespoke improvement plans with those schools, with government making up to £100,000 available initially to each school for specialist support. This compares to a £6,000 grant that was previously available under the Conservatives.
In her speech, Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said: “Stuck schools are the new front in the fight against low expectations.
“I will not accept a system that is content for some to sink, even while others soar.
“The opportunity to succeed must be the right of every child.
“We simply can’t allow stuck schools to disappear off the radar.”
Amanda Martin, MP for Portsmouth North, said: “Children growing up in Portsmouth deserve the best start in life, nothing less.
“I’m grateful for the new focus being placed on education by this government both through the measures in the Children’s Wellbeing & Schools Bill and now through Ofsted reform and the introduction of RISE teams.
“I’m backing Labour’s plans to drive high and rising school standards.”
Labour will continue to use structural intervention – converting to an academy, or moving to a new, strong trust – where Ofsted identifies the most serious concern or does not identify rapid improvement. It has also proposed closer monitoring of schools with the most serious problems to track progress.
The government expects the number of schools that receive mandatory intervention – including structural and from RISE teams – to be around double than before, securing swift improvement for children and driving high and rising standards in every part of the country.
While RISE teams will immediately prioritise stuck schools, the proposals also set out that they will engage with schools that have concerning levels of pupil attainment, including large year-on-year declines.
The teams will also work across all schools providing a universal service, signposting to best practice and bringing schools together to share their knowledge and innovation.
The measures today come as Ofsted has unveiled the new report cards which they propose will evaluate schools across nine separate areas. They also set out proposals for evaluating areas from ‘exemplary’ to ‘causing concern’, holding schools to a higher standard and providing far greater information for parents.
School report cards will start to be introduced from September this year, with a full national roll out in November.
