Fourth Special Report
On 22 May 2003 the Education and Skills Committee
published its Fourth Report[1]
of Session 2002-03,
Secondary Education: Diversity of Provision. On 24 July we received
the Government's response to the Report. The response is reproduced
as the Appendix to this Special Report.
GOVERNMENT
RESPONSE
The Select Committee's conclusions and recommendations
are in bold text. The Government's response is in plain text.
Some of the recommendations and responses have been grouped.
1. CITY TECHNOLOGY
COLLEGES AND
SPECIALIST SCHOOLS
WE ARE
CONCERNED THAT
THOSE SCHOOLS
WORKING TOWARDS
THE RECENTLY
APPROVED SPECIALISMS
IN THE
HUMANITIES MAY
FIND IT
PARTICULARLY DIFFICULT
TO ATTRACT
FINANCIAL SUPPORT.
Government considered very carefully the recent extension
of the specialist schools programme to include humanities. In
the sponsorship context it is true that some subject specialisms
are of more interest to particular sponsors than others. On balance,
however, it was felt that widening the curriculum offer would
serve children best and that the sponsorship issue was subsidiary.
This does not mean that no major sponsor will emerge with a particular
interest in the humanities and it is certainly the case that some
sponsors are more concerned to back the programme in general or
particular schools rather than a particular subject specialism.
For such sponsors, a school's choice of humanities would not be
a problem. In addition, the Specialist Schools Trust is funded
to help schools raise sponsorship and will be mindful of any special
issues. Where there is genuine difficulty the Partnership Fund
will be available to help.
2. CHOICE AND
DIVERSITY
WE ARE
CONCERNED ABOUT
THE SERIOUS
MISMATCH BETWEEN
THE GOVERNMENT'S
RHETORIC ON
THE RELATIONSHIP
BETWEEN CHOICE
AND DIVERSITY
AND THE
REALITY. RESEARCH
IS REQUIRED
INTO THE
IMPACT OF
CHOICE AND
DIVERSITY POLICY
ON DIFFERENT
REGIONS AND
DIFFERENT SOCIAL
GROUPS IN
ORDER THAT
THE GOVERNMENT
POLICIES ON
DIVERSITY AND
SCHOOL TRANSPORT
MAY BE
REFINED TO
MITIGATE ITS
NEGATIVE EFFECT.
The Government wants all secondary schools to play
to their strengths and provide a curriculum which offers flexibility
and choice to meet the needs of individual pupils. All children
should have the opportunity to attend schools which celebrate
their distinctive ethos and use their curriculum strengths, increasingly
now developed through the Specialist Schools Programme, to raise
standards right across the curriculum. The Specialist Schools
Programme is not about creating a network of schools which cater
narrowly for pupils who, for example, excel in science or art.
It is a programme about whole school improvement for the benefit
of all pupils; it is not intended that pupils should travel unreasonable
distances in order to attend a school with a designated specialism.
Parental preference may be influenced where a range of specialisms
is available within reasonable travelling distance. The programme
is also about collaboration with other schools and the wider community,
with one third of the funding devoted to schools' community plans.
Overall the intention is for each school to have a centre of excellence
that can contribute to the benefit of all pupils across an area.
There is already evidence about the positive impact
of diversity. Reference to the main quantitative evidence is made
in the response to recommendation nine. In addition, the Ofsted
report Specialist Schools: An evaluation of progress (2001)
recognised specialist status as a catalyst for innovation and
sustained school improvement. We expect Ofsted to produce a second
evaluation of specialist schools which no doubt will take account
of issues raised by the Select Committee. The Leeds University
case studies (The Impact of the Specialist Schools Programme:
Case Studies) (2000) also illustrate the qualitative strengths
of the programme.
The national research evaluation project of the six
Diversity Pathfinders, which will be completed in autumn 2005,
is designed to evaluate the effectiveness of the Diversity Pathfinders
in terms of their impacts on developing diversity and collaboration.
This will include the extent to which promoting diversity benefits
all students across the area.
It is not only the Diversity Pathfinder areas taking
a strategic approach to specialist school provision. A strategic
approach means LEAs working with all secondary schools to develop
a strategy that enables individual schools to establish a specialism
that plays to their strengths but also contributes to achieving
a balance of specialisms in their area. All of the Excellence
in Cities (EiC) authorities, more than a third of all LEAs, have
partnerships with their secondary schools in which the strategic
issues are discussed and plans prepared. Sheffield, Leicester
and Tower Hamlets are examples within the EiC programme but there
are also many examples beyond, such as Hampshire, Lincolnshire
and West Sussex. Nearly all LEAs now have an overall approach
to specialist school provision.
The Committee thought it important that policies
on choice and diversity reflect the needs of different regions
and social groups. One way this happens is through the local decision-making
arrangements introduced in the 1998 Act. Proposals for schools
to open, close or change their size or characters are now decided
by School Organisation Committees. These are based in each LEA,
represent local stakeholders and take account of the views of
local people.
Also, LEAs have a statutory duty to plan provision
to meet local needs and circumstances, ensuring that the pattern
of provision reflects the key Government priority to raise standards
of attainment for all pupils. The School Organisation Plan must
set out the LEA's current educational provision and how it will
address needs over the next five years. New guidance makes it
clear that in preparing their Plan the LEA must take into account
the Government's desire to promote diversity, but in line with
pupils' needs and parental preferences. Guidance also repeats
the Government's commitment to enable schools to develop their
own distinctive ethos and mission and says that schools that want
to secure specialist status should be able to do so, but they
will be expected to collaborate with other schools and share their
expertise, thus helping to raise standards for all schools.
3. DIVERSITY AND
FAITH
WE WELCOME
THE GOVERNMENT'S
MORE BALANCED
APPROACH TO
THE PROMOTION
OF FAITH
SCHOOLS AND
URGE EXTREME
CAUTION IN
ANY FUTURE
EXPANSION OF
THE FAITH
SECTOR. TENSIONS
IN NORTHERN
IRELAND BETWEEN
THE TWO
COMMUNITIES ILLUSTRATE
THE PROBLEMS
THAT SEGREGATED
SCHOOLS CAN
EXACERBATE. FUTURE
DEVELOPMENT IN
THIS AREA
SHOULD GUARD
AGAINST THE
CREATION OF
ETHNICALLY SEGREGATED
SCHOOLING.
Our education system has developed in partnership
with the mainstream Christian churches and we have long acknowledged
the desire of some parents to educate their children at church
schools. Given the multi-cultural society we live in today it
is only right that we extend that option to parents of other faiths
as well.
We have said that we welcome more faith schools—but
only where there is clear demand from parents and the local community.
Applications to open new faith schools are subject to local consultation.
The decision as to whether or not an application is approved lies
with the local School Organisation Committee, who takes into account
the views of parents and the wider community—or, if the
committee cannot agree, with the Schools Adjudicator.
Children from different ethnic backgrounds may find
themselves in different schools for many reasons other than faith
schooling. If different communities live in different places,
for reasons to do with employment, housing or urban development,
their children will tend to be educated separately even if all
attend their local community schools. What is important is that
our policies contribute to pupils' tolerance and understanding
of racial and religious differences.
Faith schools admit pupils on the basis of their
religion, not on ethnicity. Many faith schools already admit pupils
of other faiths and no faith, for example, there are Anglican
schools with a high proportion of Muslim pupils. Our aim is that
all faith schools should adopt inclusive admission policies.
We have made it clear that we want faith schools
that enter the state sector to be ready to work in partnership
with the local family of schools. We have issued new guidance
for School Organisation Committees so that, in considering applications
to set up new faith schools in the state sector, they must take
into account plans to promote community cohesion—for example
through inclusive admission policies or partnership arrangements
with other schools, including those of different faiths and of
no faith.
Government also understands the need to develop programmes
that encourage children and young people to mix, and gain a better
understanding about each other's culture. One of the ways we chose
to address this was by introducing compulsory education in citizenship
in secondary schools from September this year. Now pupils are
taught—as part of the National Curriculum, and without reference
to religion—about the diversity of national, regional, religious
and ethnic identities in the UK, and about the need for tolerance,
mutual respect and understanding.
1 Fourth Report from the Education and Skills Committee,
Session 2002-03, Secondary Education: Diversity of Provision HC
94. Back
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