will today deliver his first speech as leader at
Annual Labour conference and pledge to deliver Labour’s ambitious
school improvement plan, putting state education at the heart of
his vision for Britain.
It also marks Labour’s shift to focus on improving the prospects
of the 40 per cent of young people who leave compulsory education
without essential qualifications.
Under Labour’s ‘National Excellence Programme,’ the next Labour
government will boost the number of outstanding schools in all
areas of the country; drive up standards; and enable every child
to achieve their full potential.
The National Excellence Programme will include:
- recruiting thousands of new teachers to address vacancies and
skills gaps across the profession;
- reforming Ofsted to focus on supporting struggling schools;
- providing teachers and headteachers with continuing
professional development and leadership skills training.
Even before the pandemic, 200,000 primary age children in England
were growing up in areas with not a single primary school rated
good or outstanding.
Starmer’s speech will set out the short-term failures of the
Conservative government and emphasise that the problems that are
worsening because of their long-term neglect. He will warn that
Britain risks being left behind if it does not open up
opportunities for young people in every part of the country.
On Labour’s vision for education, Starmer will
say:
“I want every parent in the country to be able to send their
child to a great state school.”
“On top of that, 40 per cent of young people leave compulsory
education without essential qualifications. What does that say
about their future? We will not put up with that.
“That is why Labour will launch the most ambitious school
improvement plan ever.”
Ends
Notes to Editors
