The government believes that ‘personalisation’ is the key to tackling achievement gaps between children from different social and ethnic groups.
This means providing a tailored education for every child which builds their strength in the basic skills of the ‘3Rs’, while stretching their aspirations.
Under the new Dedicated Schools grant, £335m will be channelled into ‘personalising the learning process’ for all students in Key Stage 3, with the funding to be in place by the 2007-08 academic year.
Key proposals contained in the White Paper include:
1) Intensive small-group tuition in literacy and numeracy for those falling behind, including one-to-one support, and extra stretch for the gifted and talented
The government says it will not dictate what kind of additional support should be provided to pupils.
Instead, teachers and parents should decide together what will best meet each child’s needs and potential.
This will include delivering catch-up support where it is needed, with the most intensive support for youngsters facing the greatest disadvantages - plus effective tailored teaching for every child, including the gifted and talented.
But the White Paper reinforces that there is no substitute for high-quality, whole-class teaching - one-to-one and small group teaching simply support this.
2) Every pupil being able to extend their learning and develop their interests and aptitudes
The White Paper says it wants children to enjoy a ‘rich and exciting range of opportunities and activities beyond the school day’ to allow them to follow their interests, broaden their horizons, remove barriers to learning and motivate them to greater achievements.
This means that support and tuition for those who have fallen behind, and the gifted and talented, will be offered out-of-hours as well as during the school day.
The government is working with partner organisations from many different sectors to draw up a manifesto for education outside the classroom - this will highlight how schools can extend their pupils’ learning.
3) Excellent, tailored whole-class teaching with all the resources available - from extra support staff to improved ICT - being used to ensure that every pupil gets the education they need
Extra support will be provided for teachers to help them plan ‘exciting, interactive lessons’ which will capture the imagination of every child in the class.
Trained support staff in the classroom will assist individuals or groups of pupils, deliver parts of the lesson, and maintain a ‘good climate for learning.’
State-of-the-art media and ICT resources will also be expanded, enabling more schools to set and mark work online, providing immediate feedback to children, teachers and parents, and to link the classroom to home use.
The White Paper says these proposals will ‘create opportunity for every child, regardless of their background.’
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