Michael Gove has announced radical Conservative plans to replace the worst performing schools in the country with Academies run by proven sponsors.
The Shadow Schools Secretary said that where schools fail to teach the basics properly, where discipline is poor and where the leadership has failed, we will take schools out of the hands of those who have let children down, and install leadership teams with a proven track record of Academic success.
He explained that unless we act quickly to help our most disadvantaged children, "thousands of young lives will be blighted" and set out our proposals in full, including:
- No more ‘failing schools.’ Under radical new proposals, a Conservative government would immediately begin the process of replacing the leadership of any school that has been in special measures for over a year by the end of the next school year. These schools would all be reopened as Academies by September 2011. Thereafter, a Conservative government would continue to replace all schools that stay in special measures for a year with Academies.
- All schools can bid to become Academies
– with ‘outstanding’ schools pre-approved. The Conservatives will allow all schools to apply for Academy status. Those ranked ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted in their last inspection will be pre-approved for an immediate change of status. All other schools will have to go through a bid process.
- Ofsted framework radically simplified. A Conservative government will work with Ofsted to draw up a new framework that focuses on the core activities of schools: teaching and learning. Ideally schools would be assessed in only four areas rather than the current 18.
- Outstanding schools exempt from inspection, failing schools given more attention. Schools currently rated ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted will be given an exemption from future inspection cycles. Instead, such schools will be monitored according to a series of ‘traffic light’ metrics that will show if the school is deteriorating. If parents or teachers have concerns, they will still be able to trigger an inspection of any school. Freeing up Ofsted in this way will allow us to extend ‘no notice’ inspections, giving inspectors more time to spend in failing schools.
Michael said that the Conservatives would deliver "a new generation of independent state schools funded by taxpayers but run by teachers and responsible to parents, not micromanaged by politicians", and he added:
"That is the way to give parents what they want – smaller schools with smaller classes, good behaviour, great teachers and restored confidence in the curriculum."