What the White Paper does
- Enables schools to share ethos and curriculum more effectively through not-for-profit Trusts
- More rapid turnaround of failing schools and expansion/federation of good schools
- More parental opportunities to develop new schools and to engage with child’s development
- More personalised education for children, with catch-up lessons for those falling behind and stretch for able
- More choice for poorer parents with transport, choice advice and making it easier to introduce banding
- New clear unambiguous right for teachers to discipline children, with measures to ensure suspended pupils not left on streets
Will this reintroduce selection?
No. Existing legislation makes clear that there can be no new selection by ability. All schools are legally obliged to have regard to the Admissions Code of Practice, and will continue to be. There is no change to this.
Where there are concerns about a school’s admissions policies, another school or the LEA can refer the case to the school adjudicator whose verdict is binding (for religious schools, they go to the Secretary of State). This doesn’t change either.
People made the same arguments over specialist schools being able to select by aptitude and the proportion hasn’t changed from around 6% even though the number of designated specialist schools has risen from around 200 to nearly 2400 since 1997. They now educate two thirds of secondary pupils.
But doesn’t the White Paper propose lots of changes to admissions?
No, it doesn’t. The Code of Practice remains. The Adjudicator remains. The power of local authorities or other schools to object remains. The legally binding nature of this system remains.
All that is proposed is a simplification of the existing procedures whereby schools can use all-ability banding to open up to a wider catchment area; a three year moratorium on new schools changing their admissions; and a tightening of the adjudicator system to ensure his verdict applies for three years not one where objections to admissions are upheld.
Isn’t banding about social engineering?
No. It’s about creating greater choice and equality of opportunity for children and parents; and greater freedoms for schools. Banding could give many families a wider choice, by effectively widening schools’ catchment areas, and making it feasible for children of all abilities to be admitted to popular schools.
What difference will this really make for parents seeking a new school?
Local authorities will have to help those with well-founded proposals to develop their plans, as part of their new duty to promote choice and diversity. They cannot be blocked by other schools, as the School Organisation Committee will go. And there will be capital support to help strong proposals.
Isn’t this a return to GM schools, which Labour abolished?
Most GM schools became Foundation Schools in 1998, keeping essential freedoms including over assets and staffing. But they did so in a system of fair admissions and fair funding. Indeed this government extended delegated funding to all schools, not just a few. Trust schools can add to those freedoms by having a real engagement with external sponsors or partners such as universities, business foundations, other schools or educational trusts.
Why will you not allow local authorities to set up new community schools?
The local authority role has been changing from that of running schools to one where they act in the community interest to ensure there are enough good schools in their area. But their role has not been as well-defined as it should be. We believe that a good local authority should champion the interests of its parents and pupils and that means ensuring a good and diverse range of local schools, with better access for those from poorer families. We also want to see more schools enjoying extra freedoms: so it makes sense that new schools should automatically have them, but existing schools should decide for themselves.
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