The White Paper – ‘Your Child, Your Schools, Our Future’ – sets out Labour’s plan to continue school improvement.

The creation of a Pupil Guarantee will offer one-to-one tuition in English and Maths for children under 11 at risk of falling behind and a Year 7 “Progress Check” to offer extra support for 11-year-olds who start secondary school below expectations.

The guarantee also provides for extra support for gifted and talented learners, specialist outside help for health and social problems, a say on how their school is doing and how it can be improved, a Personal Tutor at secondary school and five hours PE or sport a week.

The new Parent Guarantee will help parents be involved in their child’s school, with school discipline agreements properly enforced. This will include  clearer information about their child’s school performance; help and advice on choosing schools; and high quality advice about their career and subject choices.

Parents will also be guaranteed access to a named personal tutor, online information about child’s attainment, progress and attendance, more influence on their school and access to additional support on childcare, activities and health services for their child.

Strengthened Home-School Agreements will clearly set out schools rules and the responsibilities of pupils and their families. Heads will have a clear route to action against parents who do not comply with their Home School Agreement through Parenting Contracts to Parenting Orders.

The introduction of a Licence to Teach will boost the status of the teaching profession by enabling every teacher to continue to train throughout their careers. Teachers and headteachers will have to demonstrate high standards of teaching and practice to maintain their licence – or face losing it. This will be initially introduced for newly qualified teachers before being extended.

School Report Cards will be introduced – which will not only include the information on school attainment which league tables are currently based on, but go well beyond it. School Report Cards will give parents clear, online information about: how the school is improving standards; how well it is helping those pupils who have fallen behind to catch up, and stretching the most able; discipline, attendance, sport, healthy eating – all of which contribute to learning; and the views of parents and pupils.

New Accredited School Groups will enable chains of state-schools to be directly run by the best education providers, including schools, universities and colleges. A new ‘charter-mark’ scheme will accredit the best.

Labour’s Schools Secretary Ed Balls said:

“This is a watershed for schools, pupils and parents.

“Schools are central to our Children’s Plan vision to make this the best place in the world to grow up. School standards have been transformed over the last decade – one of the proudest achievements of this government.

“We have invested in more teachers and classroom assistants, new school buildings and facilities; created academies, trusts and specialist schools; strengthened school accountability; and introduced a fair School Admissions Code.

“The results are clear – more good and outstanding rated schools than ever before; many more young people leaving primary school secure in the basics, getting good qualifications in secondary school and staying on in education and training than a decade ago.

“The best schools already deliver a great education for all their pupils, working beyond their school gates with parents, local communities and other children’s services.

“But this should be the norm across the country so every parent can send their child to a school which offers a great all-round education.

“I want to give good schools the freedom to become great – and give local authorities and heads far more responsibility and power to drive up their standards. But where areas still need support, I will have no hesitation to step in as I have done today in Milton Keynes, Blackpool, Leicester and Gloucestershire.”

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