Select Committee on Education and Skills Fourth Special Report


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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