27th October
Today Secretary of State for Education Justine Greening made a written statement to the House of Commons announcing the Technical and Further Education Bill. The Bill focuses particularly on improving the quality of technical education and providing safeguards for students in further education by introducing an insolvency regime for Sixth Form and FE Colleges. Undoubtedly Greening’s background in accountancy has influenced the financial focus of the proposals, and the bill itself is unlikely to attract the controversy which surrounded the earlier Education for All Bill.
The statement continues by referring to the Schools that Work for Everyone consultation which was launched in September of this year. This consultation asks for responses on the practicalities of increasing the number of places in good schools and seeks views on how the independent and higher education sectors can help mainstream schools to provide better quality education. The previous Education Bill’s attempt to force all schools to become academies is sidelined in the statement, which declares that no new legislation is needed in order to achieve the desired improvements. Schools will be encouraged to convert to academies but will not be forced to do so, and local authorities will retain their role in promoting school improvement.
The statement concludes: ‘The Technical and Further Education Bill takes forward the Government’s ambition to streamline technical education to ensure clear routes into skilled employment. … The measures in the Bill build on the progress the Government has already made by investing in high quality apprenticeships … in line with the Post-16 Skills Plan published earlier this year.’ You can read the full statement here.