Employers group calls for more federations

Released 02/09/2010

CBI claims more federations will help drive up standards in the classroom

The Government's programme of school reform is a significant move in the right direction and should help drive up standards, but much remains to be done if more young people are to achieve their full potential, the CBI said today.

In a new report, Fulfilling potential, the business role in education, the UK's largest employers' body welcomed reforms expanding the number of academies and enabling new schools to be set up, which it claims will lead to greater innovation in the classroom.

The CBI wants to see more federations, or ‘chains', of schools created to help drive up standards where individual schools are failing or coasting.

The previous government began a process of widening involvement in federations by asking schools and providers to apply to become accredited. These accredited school groups would be allowed to lead improvement in schools through federations, trust schools and academies.

The CBI is calling on the coalition to restart the process by which these groups are accredited, and recognise any private and third sector providers that can demonstrate their expertise and reliability as accredited school providers.

The employers' group also wants the Government to broaden the range of organisations that can set up a 'free' school. Currently, only parent and teachers' groups or charities are eligible.

DELIVER FULL POTENTIAL

Susan Anderson, CBI director of education and skills, said: "All young people deserve the best start in life and, as the new school year begins, it's a good time to ask how the education system can best help them develop their full potential.

"The coalition's school reforms will see more schools having the freedom to deliver high standards of attainment, through a more attractive and effective curriculum.

"We want the Government to ensure these academies and the new ‘free' schools have the freedom to innovate in the classroom, but it should go further and develop federations that use existing strong leadership and robust quality assurance systems to drive up standards across ‘chains' of schools.

"The current generation of young people will experience greater change in the workplace. They will need to be increasingly flexible in their career choices, and embrace the idea that learning never stops.

"Businesses have a key role to play in raising educational outcomes, not just by offering students work experience and career support, or acting as school governors, but also by bringing their vast, largely untapped, reservoir of experience to bear in advising, managing and partnering with schools."

Following consultation with its members, the CBI has set out four key priorities for Government:

• Continuing focus on raising attainment in literacy and numeracy - training for teachers, appropriate time in the curriculum, teaching as well as testing these basic skills
• Greater support for schools and students to develop ‘employability' skills (e.g. team working, problem-solving, communication, business awareness, self-management) - more integration of these skills in the classroom, partnerships with employers, better careers advice for all students
• Increased take-up and attainment in science and maths - promoting interest and enjoyment of science from primary level up, auto-enrolment for able students into triple science GCSE, maths studied as standard post-16
• Focus on failing and coasting schools and tackle the attainment gap - building on the achievements of the National Challenge, allow private and independent providers more scope to raise standards in failing and coasting schools, encouraging local authorities to seek a greater diversity of effective support.

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