"Your child, your schools, our future: building a 21st century schools system."

30/06/2009

Organisation/author
DCSF

Timescale
N/A

Research Aim
Government White Paper setting out proposals for educational reforms. Challenges and issues in the current educational landscape are identified with changes to the curriculum, school partnerships, leadership and responsibilities outlined.

A key feature of the White Paper are entitlements set out for pupils and parents in the ‘Pupil’ and ‘Parent Guarantees’, which are to be underpinned by legislation.

Research Design
N/A

Outputs
The Paper

Completed
N/A

Key findings

Entitlements set out in the pupil and parent guarantees are intended to address personalised support for learners. These include:

• A new primary curriculum
  ‘the curriculum is tailored to meet every child’s needs so that, from September 2011, every primary pupil receives the support they need to secure good literacy, numeracy and ICT skills, learn another language and about the humanities, science, technology and the arts, such as learning to play a musical instrument’ (Page 29).
• One-to-one support for those falling behind in literacy and numeracy
  ‘every pupil, aged seven to eleven who has fallen behind national expectations and is not making good progress, receives one-to-one tuition in English or mathematics to get them back on track from September 2010.’ (Page 35).
• The recommendations made in the Rose Review on Dyslexia are all accepted and the White Paper further recommends short courses for all teachers on literacy intervention programmes (Page 31).
• In addition, these pupils will receive a ‘progress check’ in Year 7, where their learning is assessed and reported to parents, from September 2010.
• In implementing these proposals, changes to the current support for literacy and numeracy are outlined – namely, the end of the National Strategies in 2011, with funding instead allocated to schools:
  ‘we will not renew the current, central contract for the National Strategies when it comes to an end in 2011. We will delegate the funding for the Primary and Secondary National Strategies to schools, and expect them, with their SIPs (School Improvement Partner), to use it to continue their investment in improving their literacy, numeracy and other core business.
  We will ensure that there is a smooth transition to the new arrangements, and that the legacy of high-quality programmes and guidance that the National Strategies have developed over the last 12 years continues to be accessible to schools and local authorities…’ (Page 59).
• Increased choice for 14-19
  ‘every learner from 14-19 has the choice of learning route and qualifications from Apprenticeships, Diplomas, the Foundation Learning Tier and GCSEs/A-levels; this will ensure that they have the opportunities to gain functional skills and increase opportunities to progress to higher education. This will be phased in by 2013.’ (Page 29)
  Entitlements are set out regarding length of participation in education or training:
  - By 2013 every young person up to age 17 participating
  - By 2015 every young person up to age 18 participating
• Related to implementing more personalised support are proposals for extending the specialist schools system.
  - ‘Now, thanks to the hard work of schools, the SSAT, the Youth Sport Trust and other partners, we have a truly specialist secondary system – with well over 90% of all secondary schools having achieved specialist status’ (Page 45)
  - ‘we will continue to accelerate the creation of Academies – to 200 by September 2009, with a further 100 the next year – and of Trust schools…’ (Page 7).
• Reference is made to a shift from central to localised support:
  - ‘The DCSF also provides central support in subject areas such as PE and sport, music, PSHE and citizenship; and to encourage more pupils to choose to study science, maths and languages at A level. There will be a need for some of this central support to continue – for example, where we are addressing national shortages of teachers in particular subjects, or funding schools to ensure that a certain level of provision is available for all children… However, as far as possible we will move to our new model of support for improvement in these areas too, with centrally-funded programmes continuing only where there is a national need which is unlikely to be met in a devolved system…’ (Page 59)
• Partnership working, with other schools and wider children’s services, is put forward as the way to deliver on the Pupil and Parent Guarantees:
  - ‘Through these partnerships, specialist expertise in science (including access to triple science GCSE) and languages, for example can be made available to all’ (Page 45)
  - £20 million will be invested over 2 years in a system of accrediting good education providers ‘Accredited Schools Groups’, who wish to run groups of schools, with LAs encouraged to use them to tackle underperforming schools. (Page 8)

Other proposals relating to school improvement and workforce include:

• School Report Card (SRC) – developed in conjunction with Ofsted to measure performance in every school. Based on the SRC Ofsted may inspect more frequently; LA intervention may be triggered, which may include structural change – Academy, federation, Trust status or joining an Accredited Schools Group (Page 11).
• A License to Teach – renewable and linked to teachers’ professional development entitlement. Teachers will be required to ‘periodically demonstrate their professional practice and development meets the standards required for the profession’ (Page 15).
• Extending the Masters in Teaching and Learning and continue to the develop the new leadership roles currently offered in schools, including heads having a strategic role in leading partnerships as ‘consultant leaders’/ ‘executive heads’.

Related links
DCSF online publications