Today David Cameron unveiled the second chapter of the Draft Conservative Manifesto, focusing on the Party’s policy for Schools.
Following the theme of ‘mending our broken society’ Cameron announced in his speech given at Walworth Academy that reforming schools and improving teaching standards are a key strategy in addressing social issues affecting Britain today. Cameron’s central message is one of extending the very best education to the poorest communities.
The main proposals outlined in the Draft Chapter include:
Seek higher quality teachers by raising the Graduate entry requirements to a 2:2 degree or above, extend the “Teach First” programme and paying off student loans to encourage more graduates into the teaching profession, and fast track successful professionals into teaching qualifications
Allow head teachers to award bonuses to the best teachers
Open the supply chain for new education providers to open schools, and extend the Academies programme including open new Technical Academies in at least 12 cities in the UK providing vocational training
Reform the National Curriculum to create more rigorous examinations and syllabuses
Create transparency in schools, publish league tables, exam papers and marking schemes online to enable parents to assess school performance and move their children if they feel their school is under-performing
Cameron’s calls to make teaching an ‘elitist’ profession have already attracted much media attention- the suggestion of awarding teachers performance based bonuses already ruffling feathers among the Unions- and set the tone of an election campaign that is not afraid to promote high standards and a no-nonsense approach to making cuts in the public sector of under-performing staff.
