Building a school system that works for everyone

13 Sep 2016 09:30 AM

New proposals to create a 21st-century school system that works for everyone have been unveiled by Education Secretary Justine Greening.

Speaking in Parliament yesterday, Justine Greening said that the government wanted to build on the progress made over the last 6 years, which has led to 1.4 million more children in good or outstanding schools than in 2010.

The proposals to be consulted on include:

• allowing new selective schools to open, existing ones to expand, or non-selective schools to convert where there is demand; in addition, these schools must meet certain conditions such as guaranteeing places for children from disadvantaged backgrounds or helping to establish non-selective free schools
• stronger, more demanding requirements for independent schools to retain the benefits associated with charitable status; this could include offering bursaries to those less able to afford them or sponsoring schools in the state sector
• requiring universities to open or sponsor schools in exchange for the right to raise their tuition fees
• lifting the cap on new faith free schools which requires them to limit the number of pupils admitted on the basis of faith to 50% and replacing it with new measures to ensure all new faith free schools are truly inclusive

Education Secretary Justine Greening said:

This government is making the case for social reform to build a true meritocracy in Britain, and education lies at the heart of that ambition. The proposals I have published today build on the government’s successful reforms to our education system. We want to make more good school places available in more areas, ensuring we give every child an excellent education and the opportunity to fulfil their potential. I would urge everyone to look at the detail in the consultation document and join that debate.

The consultation, which will run until 12 December, is available on GOV.UK.