Labour education plan promises 'tailored support'

Labour have launched their five-year education plan with promises to provide 'tailored support' for school children.

Plans unveiled by Prime Minister Tony Blair and Education Secretary Ruth Kelly include the provision of extra tuition support for children to help develop strengths and tackle weaknesses. The extra support would be provided in a number of ways, including small group tuition and the expansion of after-school provisions.

The Education Secretary said: "Ours is an ambitious programme for the future. It is what parents want. It values teachers and the workforce. It treats each child as an individual of equal worth. And it is what the country needs.”

The new policy also includes plans to stretch high achievers with plans including allowing pupils to take GCSEs early; tackle disruptive pupils with a 'zero tolerance' policy; intensify in-service teacher training; and focus on vocational study for those pupils who prefer it.

Mr Blair emphasised that "education was, is and will remain our number one priority". He also introduced plans to put 'parent power' at the heart of education. He said: "A good education system, developing the talents of every pupil, is one built around parent preferences and meeting those individual requirements school by school."

Mrs Kelly echoed the Prime Minister's statements, saying: “I am clear that children do better where parents are informed and involved in their child’s education. So parents should be at the heart of these discussions."

The new policy document also draws attention to what the government regards as its successes in education since they came to power in 1997. These included the recruitment of 28,500 more teachers and 105,000 more teaching assistants and support staff and the success of the new specialist schools and Sure Start centres.

The Prime Minister said: "For the past ten years we have said, year in year out, that Britain will only prosper, and its people will only get on in the 21st century, if they are well educated. Not just a minority or an elite well educated as in the past, but the great majority achieving as well at school - and having opportunities as good as the privileged few did in the past."

Mr Blair said that the Labour government has concentrated on improving literacy and numeracy in school children, recruiting and training more headteachers, teachers and teaching assistants and on building a new system of independent specialist schools. He said that these were all important measures and the government would continue to concentrate on them if they won another term.

However, Conservative Shadow Education Secretary dismissed Labour's education policy as "all talk". He said: "Mr Blair's government has spent eight years denying parents the choice of a high-quality education for their children. Now, just eight weeks before the election, he tells us he believes in 'parent power' and choice. It's all talk. Conservatives will ensure schools are accountable to parents, through expanded choice and by giving them a real say over how their children are taught."

(KMcA/SP)