02 July 2023 , 20:00
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Squads of super-teachers will help to turn around struggling schools, under Labour plans to be unveiled this week.
New improvement teams will target poorer areas as figures show children from those backgrounds are almost twice as likely to go to an inadequate school.
Keir Starmer will outline his plans for education in a major speech this week setting out how a Labour government would break down barriers to opportunity.
The party wants to overhaul school inspections with detailed "report cards'' replacing short judgments such as "good" or "requires improvement".
Shadow Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson last night told how regional teams will be sent to work with teachers in underperforming schools to respond to weaknesses that are identified.
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Shadow Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson wants to end the scandal of poorer kids being failed in “stuck” schools (Getty Images)She said the extra support will be used to end the scandal of poorer kids being failed in “stuck” schools.
Analysis by the House of Commons Library shows that 87,200 pupils who are eligible for free school meals attend schools that were rated as inadequate at their most recent inspection.
Some 8% of secondary pupils entitled to free school meals go to an inadequate school, compared to 5% of those who aren’t eligible.
Ms Phillipson said: “Only by making sure there are high and rising standards in our schools will break down the barriers to opportunity for children, including those from the poorest families, getting on.
“For too long under the Conservatives support for schools to improve has been patchy and no-one has taken responsibility for driving high and rising standards, not just in the worst performing schools but in good ones too.
“For Labour, ‘good’ isn’t good enough: that’s why we will strive for ongoing improvement in every school by introducing new regional improvement teams to drive those high and rising standards in every schools, because we believe excellence is for everyone.”
The improvement teams, which will be led by civil servants, will include experts such as experienced local teachers and heads. They will encourage staff to learn from top performing schools and find ways to spread best practice in local areas.
Keir Starmer this week will set out how a Labour government would focus on breaking down barriers to opportunity (Getty Images)The teams will not take over the running of struggling schools, but will provide advice to teachers on how to improve performance.
They will focus on weaknesses highlighted in school inspections - for example behaviour, progress of disadvantaged pupils or shortcomings in the curriculum.
Different parts of the country would have their own regional improvement teams that would help local schools.
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They will be based in each of the nine regions of England - East of England, East Midlands, North West, North East, South East, London, South West, West Midlands, and Yorkshire and Humber - and work under the existing Department for Education regional directors.
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The scheme is to be funded through Labour’s plan to abolish private schools’ tax breaks if it wins power.
The Sunday Mirror revealed yesterday that Labour also will introduce a £2,400 retention payment to stop the exodus of new teachers from classrooms. More than 30% of teachers who qualified in the last 11 years have since left teaching.
Tony Blair announced plans for super heads before he was elected PM in 1997. Successful staff were paid to take over nearby failing schools and run them as well as their own.
Pupils in England face further disruption this week, with teachers belonging to the NEU walking out again on Wednesday and Friday.
The strikes are expected to get worse in the new academic year as headteachers are expected to join them for the first time. The NAHT is currently balloting its members on industrial action.
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