The Prime Minister has outlined plans for all schools to report online to parents by 2012 and for local authorities to be required to act if there is widespread parental dissatisfaction with schooling in the area.

Everyone remembers their teachers When Sarah, my wife, was writing a book for charity, and asked people around the country who - apart from their parents - had inspired them the most, the answer was invariably the same, whether from Sir David Frost, Andrew Motion or Lord Bill Morris - their inspirational heroes were their teachers, and often their headteachers

No one ever forgets their teacher and each and every day you do what people remember and are grateful for decades later you nurture minds, develop characters, instil ambition, offer friendship and build confidence In short you change lives and, as it has been said, if you change one life you’re changing the world You should be very, very proud And we are proud of you

I’m proud too that today we’re here at a school which is one of the great success stones of our country’s education system - a tribute to great teaching, and leadership - not just providing outstanding opportunities for its pupils - with a specialist status in languages and music - but through federation and partnership arrangements within Lewisham, working with the local authority to drive up standards in schools across the area

Prendergast School’s success is a direct result of the tireless dedication and commitment of everyone involved in running it - but especially its executive headteacher Erica, whose outstanding vision and drive exemplifies the power of great school leadership - something I know Steve Munby and all those at the National College for School Leadership have been working to develop and extend right across our education system

And I know too that Erica is in good company today The National College for School Leadership has brought together this afternoon some of our finest teachers and headteachers - and many others who dedicate their lives to making our schools the best they can be And not just headteachers but system leaders - people who have given outstanding leadership - not only to our schools but to the education service at every level across Britain So let me first thank you all and pay tribute to each of you here today

As I will suggest in the new global age a good teacher matters more than ever, leadership matters more than ever and the pursuit of excellence matters more than ever - and we owe you a debt of gratitude

And this afternoon I want to discuss with you how we can build on the Children’s Plan, and what you are already achieving — and take the next steps in a new world of global competition to realising our shared ambition to raise school standards for all, and to guarantee a place at a good school for every child in Britain.

Historians will look back and see the events of the last few months -the first global financial crisis - and the forces of change that he behind them, like the rise of Asia - as defining a new global age

People today are understandably worried about their jobs now and their jobs for the future

Things that they took for granted a few years ago or even a year ago, they cannot take for granted any more

We’ve all realised that globalisation creates risks as well as opportunities

And we have to be ready to respond more rapidly, more flexibly and more creatively than ever before

But while we are taking action to deal with the global downturn, we must also build a better Britain for the future And the key to that future is education For we will start building for the new world not in our financial system but in our education system - not at bank counters but in school classrooms

Last year - through our new global fellowship scheme - we sent 100 enterprising 18 and 19 year olds from diverse backgrounds and from all over the country to get first-hand experience of the major countries driving the new global economy, China, India and Brazil They came back with clear messages With the directness that comes from seeing it for the first time, they said “We’ve just met young people who want our jobs - and are studying to get them But in Britain we’re not producing much now really, other than our people But we shouldn’t be afraid of global competition, because we’ve got the most important thing to offer talent”

They understood that if Britain is second in education and skills we can never be first in business And that if we come second in business our young people will not have the opportunities and chances in life we wish for them

The countries that will succeed in this increasingly skilled global economy are those that are investing heavily - as we are - in education and training, developing support for the all important early years of a child’s life, and ensuring that more of their young people take up the opportunities that higher education offers

Last month Barack Obama set out his plans for investing in and reforming American schools - as he said “Education is no longer just a pathway to opportunity and success, it’s a prerequisite for success”

And Obama is not alone Prime Minister Rudd in Australia is taking similar steps to raise education standards India and China - great nations that are already transforming the world we live in - today produce more graduates than the USA and Japan

But it is not enough for us simply to learn from the best practice of other countries, or to build on our own successes in recent years No The upheavals of the last two years mean we must completely re-chart our approach to education

Once, developing a skill was something ambitious people did to get on Now, skills are essential for us all just to get by And the skills people need are changing fast too Today’s teenagers aspire to jobs - such as in software engineering and graphic design - that our parents’ generation hadn’t even heard of

A good education for every child is no longer just desirable it is indispensable

Everyone needs to develop a skill and everything we do in government must be directed towards equipping people for these jobs of tomorrow Put simply, if we don’t invest in the future, we have no future

Until last year people assumed that their children would have a better life than they did But the traumatic events around the world have shaken that assumption as never before Some in politics are so pessimistic about Britain’s prospects that they talk of the next decade only in terms of the politics of austerity and defeatism - and if their message is one of cutting back on our investment in the future, of course people feel our prospects will be worse

But if we invest in people - and if we modernise education - the prospects for the next generation can be much better than for the last Over the next 20 years the world economy will double as Asian producers become consumers of our goods That means more jobs and more opportunities that could come Britain’s way This is the foundation for a new decade of growth and opportunity

But we will only take advantage of these opportunities if we invest in the skills, the technologies and the industries of the future So we must build on some of our country’s many strengths including hi-tech manufacturing, the creative industries, and a thriving low-carbon sector For there are thousands of new jobs to be found m green technologies, information technology, digital technologies and advanced manufacturing and in a range of services from teaching to social care

The onus therefore is on opening up the new horizons in education for all who can benefit, not for the few And giving anyone who can benefit the qualifications for these jobs both now and in the future

So let me be clear this is a banking recession that needs banking action but you cannot cut your way out of the recession bad banking has caused We can not allow the failure of the financial system to leave us ill equipped for the economic and educational future

So you can only invest and grow your way out Because high skills and good quality education are the key to succeeding in the global economy in the 21st century So the downturn is no time to slow down our investment in education but rather to build more vigorously for the future Under this government, education will not become a victim of the recession, but rather the focus of our path to recovery and long-term growth - which is also the key to sustainable public finances, So now is the time to build on our record investment in education, to invest in raising school standards for all our children so that every child in Britain has the opportunity - indeed the entitlement - to make the most of their talents

And now we have made the first big decision - with education to 18 This will cost money but it is the right thing to do and by making educational maintenance allowances available more will be able to stay on in school itself

This autumn the first 11-year olds who will all go right through from 16 to 18 will enter secondary school

Investment for the global age means also that we are stepping up our investment during the downturn - including creating an additional 35 thousand apprenticeships - with a further £1 billion for apprenticeships in 09-10 and from 2013, an entitlement to an apprenticeship place for all suitably qualified young people

And we are fully funding our September guarantee so all 16 and 17 year olds who want it can have a place in education or training

Investment for the global age also means expanding second chance education - including nearly one million people now being helped by Train to Gain

One of the reasons I’m so passionate about second chances is because I’ve met people who have seized them with both hands Take Dave Gustave He grew up in a tough estate and had an abusive relationship with his Dad He left school and home at 16 and spent nearly 15 years having run-ins with people and with the law Then he ended up doing A levels at 30, when he was spotted by an Oxford tutor, who saw an extraordinary mind at work He got a place, got a brilliant degree and then got a scholarship to the Bar

But he’s given all that up to go back to Peckham as a youth worker - because he didn’t want to be well educated to get away from his community, but in order to help it So don’t let anybody tell you education doesn’t make a difference - often it’s the only thing that can

And that’s why we have made the next big decision of global age to make our core aim the realisation of everyone’s potential And why we must now take the next steps to realise this aim - and support the children of the new global age - who have new needs, new opportunities to seize and new risks to confront

In short, we must adopt the politics of opportunity and growth and reject the politics of austerity and defeatism

And my guiding belief is that the countries that will succeed in this new century - the ones that will shape the destiny of humanity - will be those that put power in the hands of their citizens, that liberate the talents, creativity, enterprise and ingenuity of their people, and forge a common national purpose from the values, beliefs, aspirations and ambitions of their people It arises from a simple but profound point that the defining question of the 21st century will not be whether power is held by the state or by the market, but whether it is in the hands of the many, not the few

So the defining test for any political party will be, not whether it can take power, but whether it can give it away

What does this mean for education’?

My argument is that neither a free market, voucher-style reform of education, where some are helped white others are left to fa/I behind, nor top-down centralised government control, can provide the innovation and leadership needed to take the next steps on the road to world class schools for our children

We must always be restless in our ambition and relentless in our determination to improve But instead of the free market or the heavy handed state, we should put our trust in you - and look to great schools and great headteachers, working with local parents, to lead the next stage of reform

It will mean the best heads moving into positions of system leadership - as Erica has done here - becoming executive heads working with a group of schools

It will mean more devolution and freedom to innovate in all our schools And it will mean giving parents new rights and responsibilities

As Ed Balls will set out in a White Paper next month, the drive for world class schools will
require

    * a more strategic role for government - intervening when schools consistently underperform, but standing back and allowing teachers and school leaders greater freedom to innovate
    * more freedom for the professionals working in our schools, with those professionals taking responsibility for consistently improving classroom practice and demonstrating their success to parents and the public
    * more involvement for parents in their child’s education - with the responsibilities that brings for parents - and also the need to ensure that our system responds to parental views on the quality of education and the availability of good school places
    * and above all - investment in excellence - in resourcing a system that can unleash the talents and potential of every child

It is not elitist to strive for excellence - quite the opposite I believe there is limitless potential in every child For each is precious and unique, born endowed with a contribution only they can make So schools must promote a culture of innovation and excellence, supporting the unique abilities of every child to reach their potential and defending not just the right of the struggling to get support to catch up, but also the right of the very able to travel as far and as fast as their talents will take them

And by talents I don’t just mean academic, the core skills of English and Maths - as central as they are to the education of every child Talent takes many forms - practical, creative, communicative and enterprising abilities, as well as analytical intelligence We must step up our commitment to recognise and discover them all in our children and young people And we must build resilience, determination and grit - the strengths of character and mind, the ability to plan, to think ahead, to work with others and stay the course - the invaluable skills which apply whatever you do and increasingly determine how well we do in life

Two teenage boys from a special school summed it up for me - let me read you what they said “all students have some talent which may be hard to find or encourage In my schools we have students who cannot walk anymore and now manage in wheelchairs That’s talent

Many of my friends find reading really hard and feel really good when they read a little bit and somebody notices Please notice all achievements ” His friend said “I have heard lots about students getting A-star to C grades In my school nobody will get any of these grades Does that mean none of us has any talent? Please look hard for talent We tove it when we spot it” Those words challenge us all - and I believe they should inspire us too Indeed, for many teachers it’s the reason they went into the profession

That’s why commit to supporting the unique abilities of every child There can be no ceiling to the aspiration of our children - there can be no child we over-look

When it works - the power of education is truly inspiring Last month I hosted a reception for the Every Child A Reader programme and I met some of the pupils who had improved the fastest I met Immanuel who had just written his first letter and decided that when he grew up he wanted to write books for others to read And I met two boys who both had parents in prison and who had never before left their council estate But who felt that day - standing in Downing Street - that learning to read really had opened a whole new world for them This opportunity - for every child to succeed and to have the chance to develop their talents -
is, and must always be, a right for all and not a privilege for a few

Yes, it’s economic - because the future of our economy and the prosperity of our nation will be determined more than anything else by the skills and contributions of our young people today But it’s more than economic - it’s personal

This is a very personal mission for me because I grew up in an ordinary industrial town and went to the local school I saw at first hand the power of opportunity to change lives, but I also saw how the devastating denial of that opportunity can crush potential

I benefited from great and dedicated teachers and I was fortunate enough to get to university - but as a teenager I also saw close friends of mine who might have gone to college, become an apprentice or studied at university - but who never did

University or college was, they thought - or their parents thought - not for people like them Often invisible barriers - the background they came from, the assumptions they made, the encouragement they never had - held them back To their permanent disadvantage

So I don’t just celebrate the potential of education because I understand it in some abstract sense No My commitment is greater than that It is the frustration - the anger - that such opportunities were not there for my friends when I was growing up - that drives me to say that we have to find a way to give every child in Britain the opportunity to discover and develop their own talents, fulfil their potential and improve their chances in life

So let me sum up where 1 think we can advance

I believe the next phase of innovation and reform in our schools will be crucial And, for me, it must begin - as with all our public service reform - with three fundamental propositions

First - that we should extend the reach of the leaders within our public services, allowing government to play a more strategic role, focussed on clear priorities, not hundreds of initiatives We must be unapologetically hard-edged to intervene when schools consistently underperform, but not afraid to stand back and allow greater freedom to innovate when there is success

Second - that public services are only ever as good as the professionals who deliver them So we must invest in - and build trust in - our public service professionals And third - that modern public services must be accountable and responsive to the people who use them Every parent - as every patient in the health service, and indeed everyone who uses our public services - must have the ability to influence and shape those services

For we will only achieve true excellence when we have not just universal services - but also
personal services

So let me turn first to strategic leadership of the school system

A decade ago so many of Britain’s public services were of such poor quality that it was right for central government to act as an effective proxy for the interests of those users - challenging providers on their behalf and demanding improvement

This approach has led to major improvements in standards and proved particularly successful in tackling failure - including m our schools

But it has not led to consistently world class provision in every school and in every classroom And although individual school autonomy has increased, it has also led to an increasingly large role for central government

Now there are some who argue that we should tackle school failure by relying on market forces That we should allow a market to develop in education - with voucher-style approaches for parents to buy school places for their children

What would this achieve? Consider the implications of new schools and surplus places springing up unplanned wherever a group of parents or sponsor came forward Realistically, these new schools would not be targeted at areas of greatest need

Instead they would pick off the children with the most educated and aspirational parents from existing schools at the expense of the majority who would be left behind And they would not ratse standards for all instead they would divert some £4 5 billion of capital spending from the refurbishment and improvement programme of around 360 existing schools across the country

And unlike our academies these schools would not replace existing ones - or at least not until the education of a generation of children had been damaged

A market free-for-all would fail because as some schools go under slowly as competitors overtake them, children m those weaker schools would be left behind A whole generation failed - waiting for the market to work

Power for a few parents, not for the many Opportunity for some children, not excellence for all

So I reject this approach

An alternative approach would be a significantly increased top-down role for government in the education system, with a return to local authorities running every school to meet centrally set targets and regulations

I reject this approach too It would stifle innovation, deny teachers and school leaders the freedom they need to drive change, and it would cut parents out of any role in improving education standards

Instead our approach must be to look to great schools and great heads to lead the next stage of reform - with parents given new powers and government, both local and national, exercising a strategic, not directive, role

I believe that all of you in this hall today - your talents and your expertise - are the vital ingredients to success in taking our education system to the next level

Outstanding head teachers are showing what can be achieved by extending their sphere of leadership As well as this federation here in Lewisham, there are now many notable examples of federations The Ark chain of schools is raising standards across London And Outwood Grange - in federation with North Doncaster Technology College and Harrogate High - led by Mike Wilkms - is demonstrating what can happen when a high performing school federates with schools in need of support

We must make this the norm rather than exception So we will bring forward proposals in our White Paper for a radical expansion of the role of federations, chains and executive heads in our school system

And as local professional leadership of the system strengthens, government can and must play a more strategic role, overcoming the temptation to try to control too much This means local government being a commissioner of services, for example, for children with additional needs, and being responsible for the provision of sufficient good school places And it means central government being clear about its priorities It should focus on setting overall direction and the most important objectives So the new school report card will set out with greater clarity than ever before what we expect of schools - a single point of focus, in the
place of a multiplicity of targets And where the school is successful, we will back that leadership

Of course, central government must continue to intervene to enforce minimum standards - both where schools are consistently underperforming or where they are coasting along I make no apology for that

National Challenge has raised the bar and, backed by £400m of resources, will make a real difference in hundreds of secondary schools And in the forthcoming schools White Paper we will set out how we will make more use of the best leadership to drive improvement across the whole schools system in the coming years In the primary school arena, for example, for too long, persistently poor schools have been allowed to continue So before the summer, a primary school improvement strategy will set out how - starting in the next year and true to our approach of building on the professionalism in the system - we will ensure that the best leadership in primary schools is engaged to drive up standards across the board But government also needs to know where to step back Academies and Trusts have additional freedoms But we must look harder at how we can rationalise the statutory duties, correspondence and guidance that schools receive Learning the lessons from our recent progress with other services like the NHS, the White Paper will come forward with proposals to reduce the burden on schools

And in doing so, we will free up schools to push forward the frontier of innovation

    * like the Leigh Academy, which has organised into a series of small schools within the school so that every pupil knows and is known by every teacher within their small school - with vertical tutoring of groups of students with ages ranging from year 7 to sixth form
    * or the Young Foundation which is currently developing studio schools with seven local authorities - engaging young people by offering a range of qualifications through an enterprise based curriculum and working in partnership with local businesses to help pupils develop employability skills

So as government steps back and offer greater freedoms - we must support the leadership of
our schools to step forward

The second belief I set out earlier is that public services are only ever as good as the professionals who deliver them Today teaching is becoming a profession of choice once again for the best graduates - in fact the number one career choice for this year’s graduates The success of Teach First means it is now one of the top recruiters of Oxbridge graduates In this economic downturn, we are investing to attract more graduates and talented careerchangers into teaching

We are transforming the training of teachers through the introduction of a new Masters qualification

And from this September, schools in the most challenging circumstances, will be able to offer a £10,000 incentive to attract the best teachers

What is being demonstrated again and again in our programme of public service reform - and what excites me about the potential we have to go for - is that real excellence depends upon liberating the imagination, creativity and commitment of the public service workforce This does not mean giving up on reform - as some would encourage us to do But instead it requires us to create new opportunities for professionals to control the process of change - with less top-down control and a greater say for front-line staff

We have already acted to free up the curriculum in secondary education - and the Rose review will do the same for primary We must make the leap to a “high trust” approach to reform - not one where driving up standards is always seen as something which government does to schools

That is why in next month’s White Paper we will set out plans increasingly to move towards a system in which schools decide for themselves their priorities for improvement, and buy in tailored support for their needs - including from other schools We already have over 200 training schools, leading on the delivery of high quality continued professional development And the teachers development agency and the national college of school leadership are working together to ensure that it will become the norm for groups of
schools to drive improvements m practice - teachers learning from other teachers in local
clusters We must build on these partnerships Already, as part of our Academies programme, schools
are partnering with universities - and I know that many of you here today share the desire to make the most of these links For example, where schools partner with our best teacher training providers they could become leading innovators in teacher training and classroom practice

And we will take forward with our social partners the idea of a guaranteed entitlement to professional development for all teachers - a guarantee which for many teachers will mean more on-going investment in their skills and professionalism

So our approach to professionalism is clear We know that increasingly it is professionals themselves who will be the engines of innovation and improvement in our schools And we know that it is only empowering you - that we will achieve our shared goal of truly world class standards

Finally - we all know that the greatest influence on a child’s life is parents The evidence is clear that the most important role for parents in their child’s education is talking to them, reading with them and taking an interest in their progress so most crucially of all in our approach to extending opportunity in education - will be maximizing parent power, and improving services for parents that involve them in their child’s education in the years ahead. Fundamentally, of course, public accountability has to be based on clear information about performance, in schools as in other public services That is why we make no apology for
continuing external assessment of pupil attainment at the end of primary school, as there is in
secondary education And that is why we are looking to introduce a new school report card, which can provide comprehensive but clear information for parents on the performance of the school their child attends

But we need more than intelligent public accountability for schools to be more responsive In the last few years, education has become increasingly personalised to the specific needs, aptitudes and aspirations of individual children

This personalisation has been driven by powerful new forms of teaching, learning and assessment in our schools We’ve seen

    * greater use of information technologies to enhance learning and track pupil progress
    * access to wider services that parents need to support them, for example when their child has a disability
    * new methods of organising the curriculum
    * and innovative classroom teaching practice

positive changes, led by innovators in our education system

And personalising education for every child, must lead us on to find new ways of involving parents in the education of their children Parents have important responsibilities Whether it’s simply ensuring that their children arrive at school ready to learn, or helping teachers address persistent behaviour problems, good parenting is crucial for children’s success But to match these responsibilities, we need to do more to make sure that our education system responds to parental views on the quality of education and the availability of good school places Just as we put more trust in our front line professionals we need also to
empower parents

For parents to influence the education of their children they need rich, varied and easily accessible information on the progress, behaviour and attendance of their children Many of our schools and best leaders are already using the latest technology to do this - but it should be a right for all parents

So from 2010 all secondary schools - and from 2012 all primary schools - will report online to parents, something that has been made possible because of our investment in universal home internet access for all families with children So the mother who’s worried about her son struggling with his reading can find out more about how she can help - or the dad who works long hours and can’t make a parents’ evening can keep in touch with his daughter’s progress - at whatever time of the day or night that he’s free

And because we know that sometimes talking face-to-face to a teacher who knows their child well is what parents really want, we will build on the good practice that already exists in schools, and ensure that by September next year, every secondary pupil has the opportunity of a personal tutor

For me, like all parents, school discipline matters A school that has “satisfactory” behaviour is simply not good enough We know what works - as many of you here today have shown clear rules, consistently enforced can turn around poor discipline It is simply unacceptable that a minority of pupils can disrupt the learning of the majority

But as well as being directly engaged in their children’s learning, and knowing that their school is tackling their concerns about behaviour, parents most want to know that they will have a good offer of secondary school places and - crucially - that if the offer is not good enough they can demand action

Now there are some who argue that the solution ts for parents who aren’t happy with the choice available to break away and create their own schools

I believe that there is a role for parents running schools where they wish to - indeed that is why it is this government that has made it possible, with the first parent promoted school

already opened in Lambeth And it is why we will go further in improving the support we give to parents groups who want to take this route

But the vast majority of parents don’t want the burden of running their own school They don’t want to be expected to do it themselves They want world class teachers and school providers to do it for them

So if parents are dissatisfied with the availability of good school places in their local area or with the mix of provision on offer - then we have an obligation to respond to their concerns We have made significant progress on providing all parents with a good choice of school This year 83% of parents got their first choice school and 94 6% got one of their first three choices And through policies like the national challenge we will continue to drive up the quality of school places and so improve the options for parents

But I want to go further still

So we will look at how local authorities can improve their knowledge of what parents want and how satisfied they are with their local schools and where there is significant dissatisfaction with the pattern of secondary school provision, and where standards across an area are too low - then the local authority will be required to act

This could mean either the creation of a federation of schools, an expansion of good school places or, in some cases, the establishment of entirely new schools

Working towards these improvements needs to happen within the context of a system of fair admissions - so that the education of other children in the area will not be undermined. Unlike the free-market free-for-all, this is a policy agenda focused on raising standards for all - not raising standards for some at the expense of others

Through the steps I have outlined today we will deliver a system that is more accountable to parents

    * offering them more access to information,
    * emphasising an increasingly personal approach to the teaching and support their child receives,
    * enforcing stronger discipline,
    * and providing testing and assessment with a school report card that informs them about the  erformance of the school in a well-rounded way, not just in the basic traditional subjects but across the breadth of the education the school delivers

We will focus on developing the professionalism and great leadership of our teachers - supporting their development with new opportunities for training, bringing new talent into the profession - and we will back success and offer greater freedoms in return for a continuous and relentless focus on raising the bar for every child

And through extending the reach of our best leaders as executive heads, and in the development of chains and federations, we will improve schools across the country so that, working with you, we raise standards for all - not just standards for some

With your help we can achieve the goal of a good school place for every child in Britain With your excellence we can secure the economic future of Britain for generations to come

And with your leadership we can enable every child to say that truly, their education focused on making the best of their talents and potential - and that their destiny will be determined by them, and never again determined for them