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| Version 3 | Version 4 |
|---|---|
| Brown outlines education vision | Brown outlines education vision |
| (10 minutes later) | |
| Gordon Brown has announced a drive to raise aspiration and achievement among children and to eradicate failure from England's schools. | Gordon Brown has announced a drive to raise aspiration and achievement among children and to eradicate failure from England's schools. |
| The Prime Minister said councils would be encouraged to use new powers to intervene in failing schools. | The Prime Minister said councils would be encouraged to use new powers to intervene in failing schools. |
| Britain needed to do more to close the achievement gap between children from different backgrounds, he said. | Britain needed to do more to close the achievement gap between children from different backgrounds, he said. |
| And he announced plans to overhaul the apprenticeship system to make training more widely available. | And he announced plans to overhaul the apprenticeship system to make training more widely available. |
| Minimum standards in England's schools would be raised over the next five years, with all schools needing to have 30% of their pupils achieving five high grade GCSEs by 2012-13, the prime minister announced. | Minimum standards in England's schools would be raised over the next five years, with all schools needing to have 30% of their pupils achieving five high grade GCSEs by 2012-13, the prime minister announced. |
| We can no longer tolerate failure Gordon Brown | We can no longer tolerate failure Gordon Brown |
| Schools which failed to meet that target could face being taken over by interim management boards, or by other successful schools including independent schools, or being turned into academies. | Schools which failed to meet that target could face being taken over by interim management boards, or by other successful schools including independent schools, or being turned into academies. |
| "We can no longer tolerate failure," he said. | "We can no longer tolerate failure," he said. |
| He outlined his vision for education: "No longer acceptable for any school to fail its pupils, no longer acceptable for young people to drop out of education without good qualifications without us acting. | He outlined his vision for education: "No longer acceptable for any school to fail its pupils, no longer acceptable for young people to drop out of education without good qualifications without us acting. |
| "No more toleration of second best in Britain - no more toleration of second best for Britain." | "No more toleration of second best in Britain - no more toleration of second best for Britain." |
| He said the number of failing schools has dropped dramatically in the past decade. | |
| In 1997 more than 600 secondary schools in England had fewer than 25% of children getting five or more good GCSEs. Now there were only 26. | |
| But statistics showed there were still 670 schools where fewer than 30% of pupils got five A* to C grades at GCSE. | |
| He promised: "We will put in place a systematic plan of ever tougher measures for eradicating failure". | |
| Parental involvement | Parental involvement |
| Mr Brown talked of the need for greater parental engagement with schools and children's learning. | Mr Brown talked of the need for greater parental engagement with schools and children's learning. |
| That was the "single biggest determinant" of a child's achievement at school, he said. | That was the "single biggest determinant" of a child's achievement at school, he said. |
| Schools would be encouraged to give more feedback, through regular e-mails, meetings and more parents' sessions at key transition points for children, such as discussing the next stages in learning or new goals. | Schools would be encouraged to give more feedback, through regular e-mails, meetings and more parents' sessions at key transition points for children, such as discussing the next stages in learning or new goals. |
| Mr Brown also outlined his aim to have the best teachers in the world in a generation, with a new focus on recruitment of the brightest and best, and continuing professional development. | Mr Brown also outlined his aim to have the best teachers in the world in a generation, with a new focus on recruitment of the brightest and best, and continuing professional development. |
| He pointed to countries seen as having top education systems - such as Finland and South Korea - and said Britain could learn lessons from them. | He pointed to countries seen as having top education systems - such as Finland and South Korea - and said Britain could learn lessons from them. |
| Apprenticeships | |
| Gordon Brown highlighted a drive to increase vocational training. | |
| He said every child should aspire either to an apprenticeship or to higher education, and that whatever choice they made, they would receive substantial financial support from the government. | |
| He said there would be a new scheme to match students to potential employers offering apprenticeships, working along the lines of Ucas, the university places body. | |
| Every 18-year old who found a prospective employer to take them on for an apprenticeship would be entitled to an advanced credit to meet the costs of their training, from £3,000 for some skilled jobs up to £15,000 for a high-cost sector like engineering. |