20 October 2005
Tony Blair and Ruth Kelly met pupils and staff at a school in London today where the PM congratulated them on their significant achievements in improving GCSE results.
Figures published today show that there has been the biggest single increase in GSCE results in England and Wales in over a decade, with inner London schools improving at the fastest rate.
The PM thanked teachers at Dunraven School in Streatham for their contribution to raising standards, telling them they were ensuring children got ‘the education they need and deserve’.
Dunraven School has improved from 29 per cent of pupils achieving five good GCSEs to a reported 73 per cent this year, making it one of the fastest improving specialist schools in the country.
The PM and Ms Kelly, the Education Secretary, took a wide range of questions from both pupils and staff, including questions on single faith schools, the Building Schools for the Future programme, the role of the private sector in education and examination boards.
David Boyle, Principal of Dunraven School asked the PM what the scope was for successful schools to be liberated in the same way that the City Academies had been. Mr Boyle said that he was:
"…very pleased and encouraged to hear the PM talk about the opportunities for schools that are successful to be able to be liberated from the constraints sometimes of the national curriculum and issues to do with the world outside."
Speaking to the Downing Street web team, Chair of the Governors Joel MacInnes described the transformation that has taken place at the school over the years, and said that it was great to have ‘recognition from the government for what the school had achieved’.
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