The Government is radically modernising education in order to: improve the quality of teaching; restore discipline; raise standards; empower teachers; and close the gap between the richest and poorest pupils.
We are improving the quality of teaching by:
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Doubling the size of Teach First, which attracts top graduates to the teaching profession.
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Introducing Troops to Teachers for former members of the armed forces and Teach Next for high fliers working in other sectors.
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Allowing schools to reward good teachers and deal with under-performing teachers.
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Developing a network of Teaching Schools on the model of teaching hospitals.
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Stopping funding for teacher trainees who do not have a lower second degree or better.
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Reducing opportunities for teacher trainees to retake basic literacy and numeracy tests.
We are restoring discipline by:
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Making it easier to search pupils for banned items.
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Removing the requirement on teachers to give 24 hours’ notice for detention.
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Making clear that teachers may use reasonable force or physical restraint to control disruptive pupils.
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Giving anonymity to teachers accused by pupils.
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Preventing appeals panels from sending excluded pupils back to their former schools.
We are raising standards by:
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Reviewing the National Curriculum with teachers and experts.
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Focusing the curriculum on subject content rather than prescribing how knowledge is acquired.
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Introducing the English Baccalaureate, recognising success by students and schools in achieving GCSEs in English, mathematics, sciences, languages and humanities.
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Stopping excessive re-sits at A-level.
We are empowering teachers by:
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Cutting bureaucracy and guidance, allowing teachers to get on with the job.
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Rapidly expanding the academies programme, giving head teachers greater freedoms over teachers’ pay, the curriculum, control of budgets and structure of the school day.
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Allowing parents, teachers and charities to set up ‘free schools’, catering to the needs of local communities and free from bureaucratic control.
We are closing the gap between the richest and poorest pupils by:
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Introducing a pupil premium worth £430 for every poor pupil next year, with total funding rising to £2.5 billion in 2014-15.
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Increasing the number of ‘super-heads’ who help struggling schools improve.
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Establishing a £110 million Education Endowment Fund for innovative proposals to help struggling schools.
For more information, see the Government’s education White Paper, The Importance of Teaching.