Letter to the Chairman submitted by Sir
Cyril Taylor GBE
Liz Reid and myself are looking forward to our
meeting with the Education and Skills Select Committee in the
Wilson Room, Portcullis House on Wednesday 23 May at 9.30 am.
We understand that you want to discuss the work of the Trust over
20 years, its current place in the education infrastructure and
what its role may be in the future.
We were founded as an educational not for profit
charity in March 1987 with our main purpose being to help to establish
the City Technology Colleges. In 1993, the role changed to helping
to establish specialist schools. The first 45 of these schools
opened in 1994. Today there are now 2,697 specialist schools,
which is over 85% of all the 3,100 mainstream state funded secondary
schools. The 2,209 non selective specialist schools in operation
in the summer of 2006 averaged 60% 5 A*-C grades at GCSE compared
to 48% for the 695 non selective non specialist schools. In 2006
pupils in the non selective specialist schools achieved 45% 5
A*-C grades including English and Maths compared to 34% of pupils
in non specialist schools. Our work for specialist schools is
focused on three areas: helping to raise sponsorship, helping
the schools to raise their standards of achievement and spreading
best practice by conferences, publications and generally encouraging
collaboration and cooperation between schools.
We enclose a copy of our annual report, our
corporate plan for 2007-08, sponsors' brief on specialist schools
and an analysis of our 2006 educational outcomes by Professor
David Jesson of York University.
Since September 2005, the Trust has also played
a support role in helping newly established academies to raise
their academic standards. 84 academies will be open by September
2007. We do not, however, have responsibility for raising sponsorship
for academies. We strongly support the goal of establishing 400
academies on the sites of low attaining schools so that within
five years there will be no failing schools in the country. We
enclose a brief on the academies project.
We must emphasise that we are an independent
registered charity and not a non-departmental government body.
Our funding comes both from government grants and affiliation
fees from over 4,000 affiliated British and overseas schools.
The Trust has a 40 person governing council
that supports the Chief Executive, Liz Reid, and holds her accountable
for the successful delivery of targets by herself and her 300
staff. The Council elects annually its chairman, vice chairman
and trustees.
With regard to our place in the educational
infrastructure, we believe we provide a valuable support for English
secondary schools in helping them to raise their standards of
achievement. Our mantra is providing services for schools by schools.
With regard to our future role as we move to
an entirely specialist school system, we believe that our emphasis
should continue to help schools to raise their standards of achievement
by providing services which they value and are willing to pay
for. Enclosed is a copy of the 12 principal goals which have been
agreed by our Council for the coming years.
Finally, we believe that members of your Committee
will want to learn of my own role as advisor to the Secretary
of State for specialist schools and the academies programme. This
role is a voluntary unpaid advisory role. I also receive no remuneration
for my role as chairman of the SSAT.
I meet with the Secretary of State once a quarter,
and more frequently with Lord Adonis and his officials to discuss
issues which might affect the efficient and effective administration
of both the specialist schools and academies programme. I have
no decision making powers in the Department, but hope that my
advice on both matters has been useful. I have served in a similar
capacity for the past 10 Secretaries of State for Education since
1987.
Sir Cyril Taylor
May 2007
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