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March 12 2008
£200M FOR NATIONAL CHALLENGE TO RAISE STANDARDS IN SCHOOLS - At least 30% of pupils in every school to achieve five good GCSEs including English and maths by 2011
Ed Balls today welcomed a new £200m package over the next three years to raise standards in secondary schools, with a particular focus on those whose pupils are low-attaining at GCSE.
Budget 2008 provides new funding to bring forward by a year to 2011 the Government's ambition for no school to have less than 30 per cent of its pupils achieving 5 A*-C at GCSE, including English and maths. The Prime Minister previously committed that this would happen by 2012.
The new National Challenge programme will empower more of the best head teachers to help turn around schools which are ‘stuck’ in patterns of low attainment; create new trusts and federations based on successful schools; and, in areas of greatest need, drive forward a faster expansion of the Academies programme. National Challenge is a national strategy for all schools to learn from each other and so to help all pupils progress to the best of their abilities.
More details here
March 17 2008
NEW REFORMS TO IMPROVE THE DELIVERY OF SKILLS FOR ADULTS AND YOUNG PEOPLE
The Government today set out the details of the transfer of £7 billion to local authorities to help colleges and sixth forms deliver the reforms needed to raise the education and training leaving age to 18.
At the same time, Government will direct £4 billion a year through a new agency to provide training and skills for adults, transforming the system to be responsive and demand-led.
The proposals are published by the Department for Children, Schools and Families and the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills in a White Paper, Raising Expectations: enabling the system to deliver.
The plans will mean the dissolution of the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) by 2010 and instead make local authorities responsible for offering all young people in their area a full menu of choices - both the new Diplomas and Apprenticeships alongside GCSEs and A levels.
More details here
May 14 2008
Draft Queen's Speech includes new education bills
Children, 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.
June 10 2008
Failing schools given deadline to improve or face closure
Almost one in five secondary schools in England have been given a "no excuses" warning to improve their GCSE exam results or face closure. Schools Secretary Ed Balls has launched a £400m drive to raise results in the lowest-performing 638 schools. Schools that do not achieve the target of at least 30% of children getting 5 good GCSEs must improve or they will be closed.
An extra 70 academies, costing £195m, will spearhead this reform, so that almost one in 10 secondary schools will have academy status by September 2010.
June 25 2008
Government outlines new ways to lift children out of poverty and increase social mobility
A package of new initiatives to help families and end child poverty as part of a renewed drive to increase social mobility will be announced by Children’s Secretary Ed Balls, Work and Pensions Secretary James Purnell and Chief Secretary to the Treasury Yvette Cooper today.
The pilots will build on already successful initiatives – such as offering new services in children’s centres as well as testing new approaches to improving families’ incomes. They include:
Other Education Pages
Education News 2008
Education News 2007
Commission Work Programme 2007
Education report 2006
Education and the Budget 2006
Commission Work Programme 2006