City MP backs schools white paper to rewire education system and transform life chances for young people.
- Labour’s schools white paper sets ambitious target to raise standards and halve the disadvantage gap to give children best start in life
- Radical reform to school funding to raise outcomes for poorer children
Stephen Morgan MP has backed government plans – set out in a new schools white paper – to chart a path to halving the gap between outcomes for poorer children and their peers, alongside generational reform to the SEND system.
The disadvantage gap is as stark today as it was over a decade ago in 2014, with less than half of children eligible for free school meals achieving a pass grade or higher in their maths and English GCSEs, compared to over 70% of children who do not receive free school meals.
This too often leads to those young people falling out of education, employment or training, not getting the chance to get on in life. This is not the sign of a system delivering high standards, but one that is sidelining too many children.
To tackle these stubborn gaps, the government will radically reform the way funding is given to schools – using household income to better target disadvantage funding and ensure it delivers the greatest impact on children’s outcomes.
This comes alongside plans to recruit 6,500 more expert teachers across secondary schools and colleges, with over 2,000 more already in post and delivering for children, with new joiners in crucial subjects like maths and science.
Building on the revolutionary impact of the London Challenge in the early 2000s, which helped transform educational outcomes across the capital two new area-based challenges: Mission North East and Mission Coastal will test and learn what works to drive-up outcomes in different communities.
The schemes will bring together schools, parents and communities to develop innovative strategies that will deliver sustained improvement and provide a blueprint for change nationally.
The white paper cements this government’s view that for too long, schools have been treated as islands rather than one part of their communities, with the old system focused only on what happens when children walk through the school gates.
The government’s action to lift the two child benefit cap, put a family hub in every local council and provide 30 hours of early years education are all critical to giving every child the best start in life, ultimately improving life chances for young people and easing pressures on families.
Commenting, Stephen Morgan, MP for Portsmouth South, said:
“Labour’s plan for schools will drive up outcomes for children and young people across Portsmouth.
“By tackling the gap in outcomes between children on free school meals and their peers, we will ensure more children gain the knowledge and skills they need to achieve their ambitions and go on to gain good jobs and live fulfilling adult lives.”
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said:
“These reforms are a golden opportunity to cut the link between background and success – one that we must seize.
“Our schools have made great strides in recent decades. Yet for too long, many children in our country have been let down by a one-size fits all system, denied opportunity because they’re poor or because they have additional needs.
“Our schools white paper presents the blueprint for opportunity for the next generation, with an education system that truly serves every child, whatever their needs and wherever in the country they grow up.”
The Schools White paper will also set out:
- A new attendance target to recover 20 million school days per year by the end of the 2028/29AY compared to 2023/24AY, equivalent to 100,000 more pupils attending school full time and the fastest rate of improvement in over a decade.
- Piloting new retention incentives of up to £15,000 for newly appointed head teachers to work for sustained periods in parts of the country that need them most.
- School teachers, leaders, and support staff will see their maternity pay boosted for the first time in over 25 years, helping more women to stay on in the profession and thrive.
- Plans for new ‘School Profiles’ – an information service for every school that will act as a one-stop-shop for parents, showcasing key information around attendance, attainment and enrichment.
- A commitment to develop minimum expectations for schools around engagement with parents, for example timely communication and high-quality transition from primary to secondary.
- Exploring a new progress measure to better capture the progress and achievements of children who start secondary school significantly behind their peers.
This week’s wider reforms to the system for children with SEND will set out how more children can and will receive better support, earlier, closer and without a fight.
The plans will build on the investment government has made to-date – notably £3.7bn investment in 60,000 new places for children with SEND and £200m on training to make sure every teacher is a teacher of children with SEND.
