07 September 2001
But the long-awaited white paper, Schools Achieving Success, stopped short of full-scale privatisation, setting a number of 'protective' criteria to appease anxious unions.
Under the plans, any 'external partner' will have to meet performance standards, local education authorities will retain responsibility for school improvements and staff will not be forced to transfer to the private sector.
For the first time, clusters of good performing schools will be included on a new list of preferred bidders to take over poor institutions, along with the private and voluntary sectors. New regulations will also allow teachers and heads to work across several institutions, spreading best practice and aiding failing schools.
But while Education Secretary Estelle Morris heralded these as greater freedoms, she also announced a new reserve power to force LEAs to use the private sector if their improvement plans are not up to scratch. 'We believe greatly in the public sector ethos,' she said. 'But without using what is on offer the public sector will not meet the challenges in many schools.'
A reserve power to dismiss a governing body if it is seen as the cause of failure will also be introduced, plus new minimum 'floor targets', or performance levels, to tighten the pressure on failing schools.
For the better performing schools, the white paper is good news. Around 10% of schools will be able to 'earn more autonomy' or freedom to dictate their own curriculum.
Morris said the criteria for 'earned autonomy' were still under discussion but would be related to Ofsted inspections. 'This is a big thing for us to go for greater flexibility,' she said. 'So we want to manage it first with a small number of schools.'
But, as feared by local authorities, a new reserve power to ring-fence funding and force councils to direct their budgets to schools was included.
The Local Government Association warned that this would have wide-ranging implications for councils and could lead to a cut in education funding. Council leaders have threatened a major row with ministers over the proposal.
The teaching unions generally welcomed the paper. Association of Teachers and Lecturers' general secretary Peter Smith described it as 'imaginative and courageous'.
The National Association of Schoolmasters/Union of Women Teachers was more cautious. 'The package contains some interesting proposals but they are not sufficiently focused upon the major concern, which should be to tackle the recruitment and retention crisis,' said its general secretary Nigel de Gruchy.
The National Union of Teachers claimed the paper was a victory for its lobbying efforts. 'The tone of the white paper is significantly different from that which was on the brink of publication in July as a direct result of the pressure exerted by the NUT,' it said.
PFsep2001
