Cameron attacks school ‘mediocrity’

ALMOST 3,500 schools in England rated as “requiring improvement” face being forced into new leadership, under plans to be announced by David Cameron.

He will promise that if the Tories win the May general election they will tackle “coasting” schools that are failing to make sufficient progress.

The prime minister will say: “We’re waging an all-out war on mediocrity.”

Labour’s Tristram Hunt has said raising standards depends on making sure that schools have qualified teaching staff.

The prime minister’s proposals will see a further upward push on standards – focusing on schools with the Ofsted rating of “requires improvement”.

They would face having new leadership from “superheads”, high-achieving local schools or by being taken over by academy trusts. Struggling academies could be switched to other academy sponsors.

Schools labelled as “requires improvement” are above the lowest “inadequate” rating, but below the levels of “good” and “outstanding”.Almost a quarter of secondary schools, about 720 schools, are rated as requiring improvement. About 16% of primary, more than 2,600 schools, would be affected by the proposals.

The intention is to “raise the bar” so that an even higher proportion of pupils are in good or outstanding schools.

“No-one wants their child to go to a failing school and no-one wants to them to go to a coasting school either,” Mr Cameron will say, in a speech setting out Conservative education policy.

“‘Just enough’ is not good enough. That means no more sink schools and no more ‘bog standard’ schools either.

“Our aim is this: the best start in life for every child, wherever they’re from – no excuses.”

The proposals to be announced on Monday would mean that schools rated as requiring improvement would automatically be considered for academy status.

Only schools able to prove they have a “clear plan for rapid improvement” will remain under their existing leadership.Schools which are already academies and which fall into this category face being taken away from their existing academy chain and run by another.

Ofsted’s annual report shows that more than a third of sponsored academies, both primary and secondary, are currently rated as requiring improvement, a higher proportion than local authority schools.

Free schools which are in this rating could also be handed over to another academy group.

The areas more likely to be affected are those with the highest proportion of pupils not attending “good” or “outstanding” schools.

For primary schools this would be Medway, Doncaster, Bracknell Forest and East Sussex.

At secondary level, Ofsted’s figures show it would be the Isle of Wight, Hartlepool, St Helens and Oldham.

The label “requires improvement” was introduced by Ofsted Sir Michael Wilshaw, replacing what had previously been the “satisfactory” category.

On Sunday, head teachers’ leaders had reacted angrily to suggestions that primary schools could be failed or heads replaced if any pupils failed to pass a times table test.

Education Secretary Nicky Morgan announced plans for tougher primary maths tests, including that all pupils should know up to their 12 times table.

Ministers announced two years ago that primary pupils would have to learn the 12 times table by the age of nine and it became a requirement of the updated curriculum.

Mrs Morgan’s target is for England’s schools to catch up with international competitors and to enter the top five of the PISA tests in English and maths by 2020.

But Russell Hobby, leader of the National Association of Head Teachers, attacked “this latest gimmick”.”The new tests have not even been implemented before they want to change them,” he said.

He also questioned where so many “superheads” could be found when schools already found it difficult to recruit head teachers.

Mrs Morgan indicated that she was hoping to continue to protect the schools budget, under a future Conservative government.

But a report from the Liberal Democrats claims that in the negotiations at the outset of the coalition government in 2010, the Conservatives “tried to cut the schools budget”.

The Lib Dems warn of “scorched earth plans” for future public spending cuts.

And shadow education secretary Tristram Hunt argued that the quality of teaching was the key to raising school standards to match international competitors.

“Many parents will be shocked to learn that David Cameron’s government has changed the rules to allow unqualified teachers into the classroom on a permanent basis, leading to a 16% rise in the last year alone,” said Mr Hunt.

“The surest way to raise standards in every lesson, in every school, is to improve the quality of teaching in the classroom. Labour will ensure that all teachers are qualified and continue to train to improve their teaching as a condition to remaining in the classroom.”