News analysis Kelly pledges to speed up education reforms

13 Jan 05
Hopes that the new education secretary would water down controversial government policies were dashed last week when Ruth Kelly nailed her reformist colours firmly to the mast.

14 January 2005

Hopes that the new education secretary would water down controversial government policies were dashed last week when Ruth Kelly nailed her reformist colours firmly to the mast.

Teaching unions, local government leaders and backbench Labour MPs will not have been fooled by the emollient tone of Kelly's maiden speech as secretary, delivered at the North of England Education Conference in Manchester.

Rather than slowing down the pace of reform, the minister, who in December joined the top rank of the government aged just 36, signalled her intention to put her foot on the accelerator in the drive to do away with the 'bog-standard comprehensive'.

Kelly used her keenly awaited appearance to establish her credentials as a moderniser, declaring herself a 'parental champion'. Her message was that the five-year plan, published by her predecessor Charles Clarke last July, was just the beginning.

The minister vowed to promote 'universal excellence', which would be achieved through a major expansion of parents' choice.

'I take it as a matter of principle that choice should be expanded where we can, so that parents can increasingly choose between excellent local schools with different strengths,' she told delegates.

'Giving parents an increased choice means we need an increase in the range of providers of education.'

Kelly's pledge clears the way for religious, voluntary and business groups to take on a much larger role in the provision of state education, a policy initiative that has not gone down well with many in the sector.

Her enthusiasm for diversity will mean a major expansion in specialist schools, which focus on a particular curriculum discipline. Even more contentious are the academies, partly funded through sponsorship from businesses, which are also set to multiply.

Unsurprisingly, Kelly's encomium to choice has not been greeted with universal acclaim.

Chris Keates, general secretary of the National Association of Schoolmasters/Union of Women Teachers, was quick to point out the potential pitfalls of the government's agenda.

'There is clearly merit in a system which provides pupils with broad and flexible curriculum opportunities to meet their individual needs. Such a system would meet the laudable aim of excellence for all.

'However, this ambition could be undermined if choice is reduced to a superficial "beauty contest" between schools,' she warned.

John Dunford, general secretary of the Secondary Heads Association, concurred. 'I think it is dangerous for governments to overplay the extent of parental choice. I have never met a head teacher whose specialist school had been chosen by a parent because of its specialism.'

It is not just teachers who are uneasy about the government's reform agenda. There was little in Kelly's vision to reassure local education authorities, which are already seeing their control over schools being squeezed with the advent of direct funding.

Kelly told the conference that the challenge posed by the reforms was 'most acute for local government'. The minister hailed the 'historic opportunity to redefine yourselves as the parental champion' that she said was on offer.

LEAs should provide leadership, not detailed direction, and encourage new providers of schools in their areas, she said.

In reality, however, LEAs will view with alarm her declaration that academies and specialist schools will be encouraged to go it alone to determine their own educational ethos.

'We need to accelerate the national roll-out of specialist schools and give them greater freedom, as independent specialist schools, to respond to the needs of parents, pupils and local communities.'

Alison King, who chairs the Local Government Association's children's board, has condemned the reforms as 'change for change's sake'.

She warned that, far from making schools more responsive to the needs of their communities, the reforms could cause them to disengage. 'These plans will only serve to remove the vital co-ordination and support role that councils provide to all the schools in their areas.'

Teachers' leaders and local government chiefs have yet to meet the secretary of state. When they do, they will no doubt be seeking reassurances about the government's plans. Kelly's first turn in the spotlight suggests they might not like what they hear.

PFjan2005

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