Labour would back ‘free schools’, says party’s new education spokesman

Stephen Twigg’s statement in favour of test-based support to government’s schools policy contradicts Ed Miliband’s criticism Labour’s new education spokesman has said he backs the setting up of “free schools”, signalling a significant shift in policy from his predecessor. In an interview with the Liverpool Daily Post , Stephen Twigg said Labour will embrace the government’s “schools revolution” providing certain tests are met. The first 24 free schools opened last month. They are intended to tackle divides in England’s education system, including a concentration of the weakest schools in the poorest areas. But analysis commissioned by the Guardian has found that the first 24 are tilted towards areas dominated by middle-class households. Labour leader Ed Miliband told the BBC’s Andrew Marr programme three weeks ago that he was opposed to free schools. Twigg’s predecessor, Andy Burnham, had described free schools as a “reckless gamble”. Then Burnham said free schools were a “free-for-all, where good schools can be destabilised and where teachers can be employed without teaching qualifications”. But in his first interview, Twigg, the Liverpool West Derby MP, said he would back the setting-up of “free schools” by parents, teachers or non-profit groups if they helped poorer children and the wider community. Twigg said: “On free schools, I am saying that we need to apply a set of tests, that we are not going to take an absolute policy of opposing them. “The tests should be: will the school raise standards for pupils and parents, will it contribute to a narrowing of the achievement gap between rich and poor, and what is the wider impact of that school?” He insisted he was not dramatically shifting the party’s position, adding: “Andy never said he had an absolute policy of opposing free schools either.” The Tories are privately pleased at this shift, believing greater cross-party consensus can only serve to shore up the project that has had a faltering take up. While Burnham was in position, Twigg was disciplined in what he said about education, but during a parliamentary debate in May, he admitted to being “hugely impressed” by free school equivalents in the US – the knowledge is power programme that he described as “a great example of how some of these new, more autonomous schools in the US are delivering”. Labour Free schools Schools Education policy Michael Gove Ed Miliband Allegra Stratton guardian.co.uk

Posted by on October 14, 2011. Filed under News, Politics, World News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.