"No more making do" - Education Secretary says school system must help put ordinary working families at the heart of a stronger, fairer Britain
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New consultation launched to better understand the needs of
ordinary working families Children in grammar schools are as
likely to be from ordinary working families as children in
non-selective schools – 36% of children in grammar schools are from
this group compared to 35% in non-selective schools 21% of
pupils from ordinary working families are in an outstanding school
compared to 25% of those in families above median...Request free trial
Helping children and young people from ordinary working families get into a good school and make the most of their talents will help build a stronger, fairer Britain as the country prepares to leave the European Union, Education Secretary Justine Greening is expected to say tomorrow (Thursday 13 April).
At St Mary’s University, Twickenham, the Secretary of State will set out her vision to build on successes including 1.8million more children being taught in good or outstanding schools than in 2010 and ongoing reforms to ensure a child’s success is determined by their potential rather than their background.
The Education Secretary is expected to say:
“This is a Government that believes that ordinary working families shouldn’t have to “make do”. We believe they deserve better than that. Because ordinary working families are the backbone of our economy, of our country.
“There’s an old adage – what gets measured gets done. And this Government is focussed on getting things done. So yesterday, my Department launched a technical consultation to help us understand how the children of ordinary working people are faring in our education system.
“Fundamentally, children need more good schools. That will be at the heart of my forthcoming white paper: Schools That Work for Everyone – for the first time we want to properly knit together the different parts of our education system, so its constituent parts can work together to raise attainment as a whole, collectively. We believe that universities, independent schools, and faith schools have a role in creating better options for parents. And I believe that selection - in new, 21st century state grammar schools – will add to the options available to young people – to truly help make the most of their talents.
And grammars should not just be for one better off group in society to attend. We want to see more children from disadvantaged families get into grammars – that’s vital. I welcome that many grammar schools are now changing their admissions code to give a priority of places to these children – I want all of them to follow this example. We certainly will not lose sight of the fact that we want grammars to achieve more for disadvantaged children.
But we also shouldn’t lose sight of the fact that many young people from an ordinary working class background already attend our existing grammar schools. And so, the new schools that we will create will support young people from every background, not the privileged few. Young people on free school meals – and those eligible for pupil premium. Young people from ordinary working families that are struggling to get by. I want these new schools to work for everyone. This will be a new model of grammars, truly open to all – we will insist on that. And it will reflect the choices of local parents and communities.”
Following the vote to leave the European Union, the Government’s Plan for Britain aims to create a country that works for everyone - in particular, those ordinary working families whose desire for change and a fairer society was made clear by the Brexit vote.
The speech will coincide with the publication of a technical consultation by the Department for Education designed to start building – for the first time - a better understanding of the issues faced by ordinary working families in the education system.
Data in the consultation, which follows a pledge in the Schools That Work for Everyone consultation to better understand this group, shows these families - who are not captured by traditional measures of deprivation but whose household income is below the national average - find it harder to access outstanding schools and don’t perform as well as their wealthier peers.
The research finds that children in grammars schools are as likely to be from ordinary working families as children in non-selective schools, demonstrating that grammar schools are not just for the wealthy.
Previous work has shown that those on low incomes are more likely to enter further education which, although neglected and underfunded for decades, is set to benefit from an extra £500m a year to support technical education, as announced in the last budget.
The Government wants to make sure these young people get the education they need to land their dream job - because that investment in the future workforce will allow British businesses to compete across the world.
The outcome of this consultation will help the government tailor support - where it is needed most - so every young person leaves education with the skills and knowledge to secure a high-quality apprenticeship, a place at one of Britain’s top universities or a great job.
This critical work to help disadvantaged pupils benefit from an excellent education will continue, alongside ongoing investment through the Pupil Premium – worth £2.5billion this year alone – and wider reforms to ensure all children regardless of background have access to an excellent education.
These include the government’s plan to create more good school places by lifting the ban on new grammar schools (on the strict condition they improve the education of other pupils in the system by sharing their expertise to raise standards across the board) as well as harnessing the expertise and resources of our universities, and our independent and faith schools.
Speaking about the consultation, the Education Secretary is expected to say:
“To be clear, this isn’t about creating brand new labels for our families and our children. It isn’t about singling out some for support – whilst leaving others alone. Because we know families are different, not just materially and financially, but in the way they identify themselves – in their own perceptions. But we do want to start to provide a clearer analysis of the situation. Of how the children of ordinary working people are faring in our education system. And for measuring how our wider reforms can do better for these families – and so better for the country.”
The government is currently considering responses to its Schools that Work for Everyone consultation and will publish its response in due course. |