Education Bill welcomed in West Berkshire

Local councillors and headteachers have broadly welcomed the proposed bill that could reform school inspections

AN EDUCATION Bill that could reform the ways schools are inspected has been largely welcomed within West Berkshire.

Last week, the coalition Government published a Bill it claimed would help teachers raise standards in schools by introducing measures to root out bad behaviour, tackle underperformance through new intervention powers and improve the ways schools are held to account.

The education secretary, Michael Gove, said that although many teachers and schools were doing a fantastic job, there were still too many schools across the country that were simply not good enough, adding that lessons must be learnt from other countries.

He said that by freeing the ‘outstanding' schools from inspections, Ofsted would be able to concentrate on teaching and behaviour and focus on the worst performing schools where intervention was needed most.

In recent years, several West Berkshire schools have been placed in special measures or put on the national challenge list to improve or face closure, raising questions about the quality of the local education authority's overall provision in schools.

However, West Berkshire's executive councillor for education, Barbara Alexander (Con, Compton) said that recent exam results and Ofsted inspections showed that district schools were on the up.

She said: “You can't turn schools around overnight, but the schools we are turning around are becoming more sustainable.”

Mrs Alexander said she felt measures within the Bill that could see the Government direct local authorities to shut down failing schools would have to be treated with common sense, although she said she was broadly positive of the Bill as a whole.

She said: “We want the best for children and anything that improves the standards and gives them a better start in life is to be commended.

“Schools are the heart of communities and there is hope that something good will come of this.”

The shadow executive member for education, Alan Macro (Lib Dem, Theale), said he felt the emphasis on what Ofsted would inspect, such as behaviour, pupil achievement, teaching and leadership, would be a change for the better, adding that it would help parents better understand school performance.

However, he voiced concerns that the best schools would not be inspected at all, although their results and achievements would still be monitored.

The executive headteacher of Kennet School in Thatcham and Trinity School in Newbury, Paul Dick, said he felt the new plans were excellent.

He said he felt the whole system had become too bureaucratic and too complex in recent years and that the new focuses on teaching, achievement, leadership and behaviour were “exactly right.”