The Importance of Teaching - Schools White Paper 2010
The Importance of Teaching: Heads and teachers to drive school improvement
White Paper - Summary White Paper - Key Points
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04/03/11 - Education Bill now in Commons Committee
The White Paper
Education Secretary Michael Gove has set out a radical reform programme that puts teachers at the heart of school improvement and frees schools from central government direction.
The schools White Paper, The Importance of Teaching, draws heavily on the evidence learnt from the world’s best education systems and will see heads and teachers driving school improvement.
It explains that schools will be freed from centralised bureaucracy and endless government interference, in return for greater accountability to parents and local communities.
The White Paper also sets out:
- powers for teachers to improve discipline in the classroom
- a vision for a transformed school curriculum
- the reform of school performance tables
- a pupil premium to channel more money to the most deprived children and
- plans to develop a fairer and more transparent funding system.
Read more... (DfE - 24 November)
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Download the Schools White Paper [1.0 MB] |
Gove signals return to traditional education
The government signalled a return to traditional educational values as it set out wide ranging plans for school reforms in England.
Education Secretary Michael Gove said heads would get more powers over discipline and that teacher training would be shaken up.
Schools would be backed in introducing blazer and tie uniforms, and traditional prefect and house systems.
The reforms would make England the world's top education nation, he added.
Detailing his plans to parliament, he said England's education system had "lost its way" under Labour and had slipped down the rankings against its international competitors.
But under the coalition government the country would become an "aspiration nation" once again, he said.
His schools White Paper, entitled The Importance of Teaching, sets out plans to reform and improve the quality of teacher training.
But it also emphasises traditional educational values with marks to be allotted for good grammar and spelling in GCSEs and pupils to be encouraged to study more rigorous subjects. Read more... (BBC News - 24 November)
Education overhaul aims to raise standards - (The Independent - 24 November)
Michael Gove unveils sweeping school reforms - (The Guardian - 24 November)
Michael Gove unveils education reforms - (Daily Telegraph - 24 November)