Education Secretary will
today launch the government ‘Unlock Talent and
Fulfil Potential’ action plan.
In a keynote speech on social
mobility at the Reform Social
Mobility Conference she is expected
to provide more detail on a series of existing
policies for schools, further education and early-years, and will
outline how around £800 million of government investment, including
at least £23 million of new funding, will be used to boost the life
chances of the disadvantaged.
In her speech, the Education Secretary is expected to set out a
new direction for free schools, which will in the future be
opened in areas of the country with low levels of social
mobility. She is also likely to trail proposals to strengthen
qualified teacher status, after announcing earlier this week that
a consultation on the subject is imminent.
This will be a “transformative consultation” on proposals to
strengthen QTS and “enhance professional development for
teachers, in particular those working in challenging schools and
areas.”
Greening is also due to re-outline her commitment to a review of
pupil referral units and other alternative provision schools. A
new £23 million “future talent fund” will also be revealed, to
fund trials into teaching approaches that support the teaching of
the brightest children from the least well-off communities.
She will warn the reality in modern Britain is that where you
start "too often decides where you finish". She will set out
plans to close the gap at all stages of life; from boosting
reading skills for preschoolers to giving young people more
confidence in their careers.
But there is no new money involved: The planned investments of
£50 million to boost school nursery provision in "challenging
areas", and £23 million for a "future talent fund" to support the
most able pupils in poorer communities have been allocated from
existing funding.
The Sutton Trust has welcomed the social mobility action plan.
Sir Peter Lampl, Chairman of the Sutton Trust and of the
Education Endowment Foundation, said the play would play an
important role in enabling less advantaged young people to get on
in life. "We particularly welcome the Future Talent Fund, which
will enable bright young people to fulfil their potential. We
also welcome the new role for the Education Endowment Foundation
to evaluate early years practice.
“We welcome support for the Sutton Trust recommendation that
universities should be more transparent on contextual admissions.
We also support the need to encourage more disadvantaged young
people to take academic subjects at GCSE for the English
Baccalaureate. Both measures are important to widening university
access.
“It is good that there is a focus on identifying ‘what works’,
especially through working with the Education Endowment
Foundation, and spreading best practice from high performing
Local Authorities to underperforming areas.
“However, there are areas where more should be done. We need to
be sure that the resources are there to match the ambitions of
the new plan, particularly to support good teaching in
disadvantaged areas. Admissions policy seems to have put in the
‘too difficult’ box yet without reforming admissions poorer
pupils will continue to miss out on the best schools.
“We would like to see more done to ensure that disadvantaged
young people progress to the best apprenticeships and that they
don’t graduate with the highest debt. Internships should not be a
barrier to social mobility – those over four weeks should be paid
and advertised.”
