As minister for school standards, my priority is to deliver high and rising standards through our Plan for Change, supporting all children to achieve and thrive, and breaking the link between their backgrounds and their success.
Over the past few decades, before the pandemic, attainment improved on some levels. But the system we inherited is not working well enough.
Too many children, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds, see their life chances held back by poor outcomes.
GCSE outcomes in England
Tens of thousands of children are not securing good maths or English GCSEs. One in five children is regularly absent from school.
This can’t go on.
Our landmark Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, as part of our Plan for Change, will give every family the certainty that they will be able to access a good local school for their child, where they can achieve and thrive, regardless of where they live.
Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill
It will require new teachers to have qualified teacher status or be working towards it, so that they are prepared for successful teaching careers.
It will also require all schools to deliver a rich and broad national curriculum.
It introduces free breakfast clubs as a core offer in every primary school, because starting the school day with a full stomach has a proven impact on children’s attendance, attainment and behaviour.
It stops children falling through the cracks in the system, becoming persistently absent, because whatever the challenges a child is facing, every single one of them deserves our care and protection.
As teachers and leaders, I know you all share that vision and want the best for all your pupils. Over the past six months, I’ve been lucky enough to meet with many of you to see and hear at first hand the brilliant work you are all doing.
And it is you - the excellent teachers in our schools - who are key to driving the high and rising standards that we want to see across the country, so no child is left behind.
Recruitment crisis
But we have a recruitment and retention crisis and we need to act now.
The education secretary and I have never been in any doubt that high-quality academy trusts have made transformational changes, introducing options for flexible working that have a particular impact on working mums, for example, and we want them to continue to drive that work for all pupils.
The aims of this bill are to extend the flexibility to innovate on pay and conditions to every school, while also recognising that every teacher in every school should benefit from a minimum core pay offer, so all state schools can attract and retain the best teachers.
Teacher pay and conditions
But we are also aware that having to rely on future changes - made in light of recommendations by the School Teacher Review Body (STRB) - to deliver on these aims, rather than seeing them in black and white on the face of the bill, has caused concern.
We have been clear that we will take whatever action is needed to deliver on the objectives of the bill to drive high and rising standards and give every child, regardless of background, an excellent local school and brilliant, qualified teachers.
That’s why we intend for the bill to be amended, to allow the secretary of state to set a floor on pay for all teachers in state schools through the School Teachers’ Pay and Conditions document.
Trusts and LA schools
Local authority maintained schools will, as now, continue to follow the entire document - and will see the benefit of further flexibilities that we will remit the STRB to consider following the passage of the bill.
Academies will have to have due regard to the rest of the terms and conditions in the School Teachers’ Pay and Conditions document - moving towards a core framework for all schools, but giving confidence that existing or future changes that benefit teachers and pupils will be able to continue.
By introducing this amendment, we are putting beyond doubt our commitment to creating a floor with no ceiling for all schools, so that good practice and innovation can continue to spread and be used by all state schools to recruit and retain the best teachers they need for our children.
This government is focused on delivering for children and we will do whatever is necessary to achieve that with a bill that delivers for schools, parents and children.
Catherine McKinnell is minister for school standards
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