ABSTRACT:

The latest Schools White Paper has had mixed reviews. There has been some support for the principle of pupil and parent guarantees, “the public should be encouraged to think of themselves as consumers of public services, picking and choosing providers,” the FT argued, while even one of the professional associations could see some of the benefits in the proposed licensing system for new teachers. “Professions such as medicine and law already have licences to practice. These enhance their professional standing,” being the initial reaction from the NASUWT. But there has also been much talk of sledgehammers and nuts, of basic principles being “obfuscated” as The Times put it, “by jargon and dangerous guff” and of the whole thing being hard to sell. “ Mr Balls’s kaleidoscope prescription of academies, federations, local autonomy and central direction is not an easy political sell” the conclusion in The Guardian. As it is, the Opposition has already said it’s not buying the licensing scheme.

FULL POLICY WATCH:

 [2009/32] 21st Century Schools

USEFUL LINKS:

The latest Schools White Paper: Your child,your schools,
our future:building a 21st century schools system

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