Wednesday 8th February 2012 10.33am
Post your Events Government’s School Reforms Are Welcome But Should Go Further – CBI
More school federations needed to drive up performance.
The Government’s ambitious programme of school reform is a significant move in the right direction and should help drive up standards, but much remains to be done if more young people are to achieve their full potential, the CBI said today.
In a new report, Fulfilling potential, the business role in education, the UK’s largest employers’ body welcomed reforms expanding the number of academies and enabling new schools to be set up, which should lead to greater innovation in the classroom.
It is also calling for the anticipated Government White Paper on school reform to set out a clear strategy on how businesses can get involved in education.
The CBI wants to see more federations, or ‘chains’, of schools created to help drive up standards where individual schools are failing or coasting. A federation can be a group of schools coming together to share best practice, or a group being run by a single governing body, which could be another school, business, or third sector body.
The previous government began a process of widening involvement in federations by asking schools and providers to apply to become accredited. These 'Accredited School Groups' would be allowed to lead improvement in schools through federations, trust schools and academies.
The CBI is calling on the coalition to restart the process by which these groups are accredited, and recognise any private and third sector providers that can demonstrate their expertise and reliability as accredited school providers.
The employers' group would also like the Government to broaden the range of organisations that can set up a 'free' school. Currently, only parent and teachers' groups or charities are eligible.
Susan Anderson, CBI Director of Education and Skills, said:
“All young people deserve the best start in life and, as the new school year begins, it’s a good time to ask how the education system can best help them develop their full potential.
“The coalition’s school reforms will see more schools having the freedom to deliver high standards of attainment, through a more attractive and effective curriculum.
“We want the Government to ensure these academies and the new ‘free’ schools have the freedom to innovate in the classroom, but it should go further and develop federations that use existing strong leadership and robust quality assurance systems to drive up standards across ‘chains’ of schools.
“The current generation of young people will experience greater change in the workplace. They will need to be increasingly flexible in their career choices, and embrace the idea that learning never stops.
“Businesses have a key role to play in raising educational outcomes, not just by offering students work experience and career support, or acting as school governors, but also by bringing their vast, largely untapped, reservoir of experience to bear in advising, managing and partnering with schools.”
Following consultation with its members, the CBI has set out four key priorities for Government, to ensure young people are given the best possible start in life, have the best chance of finding sustainable employment, and make the most use of their talents:
· Continuing focus on raising attainment in literacy and numeracy – training for teachers, appropriate time in the curriculum, teaching as well as testing these basic skills
· Greater support for schools and students to develop ‘employability’ skills (e.g. team working, problem-solving, communication, business awareness, self-management) – more integration of these skills in the classroom, partnerships with employers, better careers advice for all students
· Increased take-up and attainment in science and maths – promoting interest and enjoyment of science from primary level up, auto-enrolment for able students into triple science GCSE, maths studied as standard post-16
· Focus on failing and coasting schools and tackle the attainment gap – building on the achievements of the National Challenge, allow private and independent providers more scope to raise standards in failing and coasting schools, encouraging local authorities to seek a greater diversity of effective support
Case studies
The CBI’s report contains a number of case studies, showing how private and independent providers are already delivering improvements in educational attainment, achievement and standards. These include:
· EdisonLearning – working with Northampton Local Authority to deliver significant improvements across primary and secondary schools
· Serco – operating Bradford District Pupil Referral Unit, delivering tailored learning to young people with complex social, emotional and behavioural difficulties
· Rolls Royce – joint sponsor of the John Cabot Academy, promoting science, technology, engineering and maths, the benefits of engineering as a career, and offering careers advice, including on Rolls Royce apprenticeships
· Cambridge Education – providing education services in the London Borough of Islington, achieving significant year-on-year improvements working together as partners over the past decade
· Nord Anglia – awarded head teachers’ training contract with the National College for the Leadership of Schools and Children’s Services, with 95% of participants targeted to progress to headship qualification within three years
· The Aldridge Foundation – sole sponsor of the Darwen Aldridge Community Academy, which has shown how entrepreneurship can be used to transform a school and regenerate a community, and has achieved real student success
· A4e – engaging young people not in education, employment or training (NEETs) on the road back to gainful employment, achieving significant results, high levels of retention and qualifications for most participants
· EC Harris – delivering new primary school capital with Bracknell Forest Council, bringing the skills, expertise and resources needed to deliver key strategic plans and policies
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