New laws are expected to be unveiled tomorrow (Tuesday) to
underpin the government’s ambition for every child to receive a
world-class education, no matter where in the country they live.
The Schools Bill is set to be announced in the Queen’s Speech. It
will provide the legislation necessary for the government’s key
education reforms and support its central mission to spread
opportunity and level up the country, driving future economic
growth.
Making sure every young person gets a good education is at the
forefront of the government’s agenda. It is also in the interest
of the entire country, because these young people will have the
skills, knowledge and opportunity needed to fulfil their future
potential, secure the good jobs needed to support our economy,
and fill local skills gaps.
Through the Bill, the government will raise education standards
across the country via a range of measures including supporting
schools to join strong, multi-academy trusts, introducing
registers for children not in school and giving Ofsted more
powers to crack down on unregistered schools operating illegally.
It will help to deliver the government’s Levelling Up mission for
education - for 90% of children leaving primary school to achieve
the expected standard in reading, writing and maths by 2030,
providing them with the foundation they need to secure well-paid
jobs in the future.
To support this, last month the government announced its new
pledge to parents: if your child falls behind in English or
maths, they will get the support they need from their school to
help them get back on track.
Prime Minister said:
“I want every parent across the country to know that their
child’s education is at the very heart of this government’s
agenda.
“We are determined to raise standards in our schools so every
child has access to the same opportunities wherever they live,
and our brilliant teachers are supported to do what they do best,
which is why we’re putting our education ambition into law this
week.
“By giving every child a good education, we’re giving them the
opportunity to thrive so they can reach their full potential and
secure the jobs needed - this is absolutely vital to our
levelling up mission.”
Education Secretary said:
“Our new Schools Bill, alongside the Schools White Paper, will
create a school system that works for every child, parent and
family, bringing every school up to our current best standards.
“We want every school to be part of an academy trust, enabling
teachers to focus on what they do best - meeting the needs of
every child. Schools’ approach to attendance is being overhauled
to make sure every child gets the benefit of every possible hour
in the classroom.
“In combination, this work will make sure every child has access
to an education that they deserve and helps them fulfil their
potential.”
The measures in the Bill will:
- Support more schools to become part of a strong,
multi-academy trust.
- Strengthen the regulatory framework for academy trusts,
underpinned by powers to intervene where they are failing.
- Introduce a direct National Funding Formula, so that every
school is allocated funding on a fair and consistent basis,
wherever it is in the country.
- Require schools to publish an attendance policy
- Establish compulsory registers for children not in school, so
that the system can identify those who are not receiving a
suitable full-time education.
- Place a duty on local authorities to provide support to
home-schooling families, so that no child falls through the
cracks.
- Give Ofsted more powers to crack down on ‘unregistered
schools’ operating illegally.
- Give the Teaching Regulation Agency increased powers to
investigate misconduct.
This is all backed by huge government investment – core school
funding will rise by £4 billion in 2022/23 compared with 2021/22,
which represents a 7% increase per pupil. On top of this, £5
billion has been invested in the National Tutoring Programme,
offering high-quality catch-up tutoring for students who fell
behind during the pandemic.
Earlier this year, the government also set out its vision for a
post-18 education system that promotes social mobility by
providing more options for people to study, train, retrain or
upskill at any stage throughout their lives.
In support of this, the Higher Education Bill is also expected to
be announced this week, enabling the introduction of the Lifelong
Loan Entitlement. This will provide people with a loan equivalent
to four years of education (£37,000 in today’s fees) that they
can use over their lifetime for a range of studies including
shorter and technical courses. This could help them secure a
promotion, or a better job.
This is a seismic shift in the way post-18 education is funded
and accessed – and combined with the government’s school reforms
– will make sure an excellent education is accessible to everyone
in this country, no matter what stage of life they’re at.
