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Devon Association of Governors - Run by Devon Governors for Devon Governors

Coalition Government

Education Changes

Following the completion of Coalition discussions the Ministerial team at the newly renamed Department for Education is:

Michael Gove MP – Secretary of State for Education

Nick Gibb MP – Minister of State for Schools

Sarah Teather MP – Minister of State for Children and Families

Tim Loughton – Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Children and Families

Despite its name change, so far the remit of the Department remains the same, for education, families and children’s services.  One thing that changed almost instantly was the website – the new website is still in its infancy and can be found at www.education.gov.uk.  At the moment every page you click on carries the attached warning:

“A new UK Government took office on 11 May. As a result the content on this site may not reflect current Government policy. All statutory guidance and legislation published on this site continues to reflect the current legal position unless indicated otherwise.”

The coalition government has published an agreement covering policy matters. The agreement covers schools under three different sections: the spending review, education and civil liberties.  This is what it says under those various headings:

• They will fund a significant premium for disadvantaged pupils from outside the schools budget by reductions in spending elsewhere.
• They agree to promote the reform of schools in order to ensure that:
  • new providers can enter the state system in response to parental demand
  • all schools have  greater freedom over the curriculum
  • all schools are held properly accountable
• They will scrap the Contact Point database
• They will outlaw the finger printing of children at schools without parental permission

You can download the full coalition agreement at www.hmg.gov.uk.

The Secretary of State set out his priorities in a message to his civil servants, which has been widely reported in the press. In his message he stated

   “...So improving literacy, raising pupil attainment, extending parental choice, freeing teachers from bureaucracy, improving discipline and closing the widening gap between the richest and the poorest should be our shared goal....

    “In the weeks ahead, I want us to offer all schools the chance to enjoy academy-style freedoms so that heads and teachers across the country can be liberated. This will be the focus of the legislation we hope to bring forward later this month...”

The Queen’s Speech takes place on Tuesday 25 May and an Education Bill is anticipated.  The Government has previously said that it would like some of its measures to be in place by September, if that is the case then it is reasonable to expect to see a full copy of the Bill shortly after the Queen’s Speech.