Education Act 2011- working
it out
Welcome: Jonathan Carr-West,
Director LGiU
Chair: Laurie Thraves,
Policy Manager, LGIU

Education Act 2011
John Fowler
Policy Manager, LGIU
24 November 2011

Education Act 2011
• This Bill provides an historic opportunity for
this country. It will help to guarantee every
child a high quality education, which will
equip them for the technological, economic,
social and cultural challenges of the next
century.
• The Bill sets out a horrifying vision for the
future of education in this country. The core
values and ethos of state education, social
justice, democratic accountability and
equality … are all left in tatters by the
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provisions in this Bill.

Education Act 2011
• The Education Act 2011 will help teachers
raise standards in education
• The Bill is not a nudge along for the
structure of our educational institutions but
a more substantial change
• The Education Act is a crime against
humanity, a smash and grab raid which
that will tear apart our schools and our
communities
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Economist 19 November 2011
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Education Act 2011
• Complex
• Amends 18 previous education
and children acts
• 47 separate issues
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Not covering
• Secondary legislation and other
changes
• Funding: increases, decreases
and impact
• Academy conversions

Academy applications – rise
300
and fall
Monthly
250
number of
applications
200
150
100 3 per. Mov.
Avg.
50 (Monthly
number of
0 applications
Tuesday, No…
Wednesday,…
Wednesday,…
Wednesday,…
Thursday, Se…
Monday, Nov…
Friday, April…
Friday, July…
Sunday, Aug…
Tuesday, Mar…
Sunday, May…
Saturday, Oc…
Friday, Octob…
Saturday, Ja…
Tuesday, Feb…
Monday, Aug…
)
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Coalition
programme
• Using resources fairly
• Freedom
• Accountability and
responsibility
• Plus
• Behaviour

The DfE narrative
•good teachers delivering good teaching is the single most important
factor in giving every child a high quality education
•poor behaviour is one of the biggest barriers to attracting and retaining
good teachers
•once schools have secured good behaviour, they will be able to deliver a
challenging curriculum for all pupils
•the best school systems devolve power to schools, and we will give
schools the freedom to lead improvement
•robust accountability for raising standards and narrowing gaps will sit
alongside our plans for increased autonomy
•head teachers and teachers are the people who make the difference, so
we will give them real freedoms to decide how best to improve their
school
•the school funding system will be transparent and fair, and will effectively
target disadvantaged pupils
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Good Behaviour and discipline
• Allow same-day detentions (5)
• Powers to search pupils and students and seize
items strengthened (2 and 3)
• Pre-charge anonymity for teachers faced with
allegations of criminal offence by a pupil (13)
Exclusion appeal process changed (4)
• Behaviour and attendance partnerships (6)
• Exclusions: PRUs (50 and 51) and Alternative
provision Academies (53)
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Freeing up professionals
Duties on schools
• Repeal of school duty to co-operate and
CYPPs
• Repeal of school profile (32) and SIPs
(33)
• School meals (35)
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Freeing up professionals
School admissions and place
planning
• Pupils admissions (34)
– Admission forum
– Adjudicator role
– Local authority reports
– Objections (36)
– Academies (64)
• School place planning (37)
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Using resources fairly
• Free entitlement of early years
provision for two-year olds (1)
• Additional permitted charges (48)
• HE funding (71 and 72)
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Other issues
• Composition of school governing bodies
(38)
• Federations
– Schools leaving (39)
– Applying for Academy status (57)
• Parental complaints (44)
• Staffing of maintained schools (19)
• Payments in respect of dismissal (47)
• Local authorities’ financial schemes (46)
• Direct payments for SEN (75)
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Lunch

Sharper accountability
OfSTED inspection
• Focus OfSTED school inspection on
four key areas (41)
• End routine inspection of outstanding
schools and colleges (40 and 42)
• SoS powers to close a school directly
(44)
• Inspection of boarding
accommodation (43)
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Sharper accountability
Curriculum and qualifications
• QCDA abolished (25 to 27)
• Ofqual chief regulator (21)
• International comparisons (20 and 22)
• Power to fine exam boards (23 and 24)
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Sharper Accountability
Quango abolition
• GTCE abolition (7 to 12)
– Prohibition
– Induction
– No registration
• TDA abolition (14 to 17)
– Funding
– Standards and conduct
• SSSNB (18)
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Academies and free schools
• Sections 52 to 65 rewrite of AA 2010
• Specialisms abolished (52)
• 16-19 and Alternative provision Academies
(53 and 54)
• Religious bodies consent before application
for Academy Order (55)
• Consultation by prospective sponsor where
SoS orders conversion (56)
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Academies and free schools
• Application by individual school within a
federation (57)
• LA can still fund PFI deals (58)
• Transfer agreements to include staff contracts
(59)
• Consultation on increasing age-range (60)
• LA remits boarding (61)
• Land of closed Academies (63)
• Academies come within scope of Adjudicator
for admissions(64)
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14+
• Connexions (28)
• Careers (29)
• Repeal the diploma “entitlement” (30 and
31)
• Reduce/change requirements on Sixth
Form and FE colleges on borrowing,
promoting of economic wellbeing,
governance (49)
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14+
• YPLA abolished (66 to 68)
• Apprenticeship offer redefined (69)
• Skills Funding Agency (SFA) to make
reasonable efforts to involve employers (70)
• Sector Skills Councils to issue certificates (71)
• SoS to direct SFA on consultation (72)
• Reduction in “skills entitlement” (73)
• Change to commencement of RPA (74)
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The outlook – the other factors
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What does it mean?
Government’s principles
“increasing school
autonomy, improving the quality of
teaching and strengthening local
accountability”
“free local authorities, led by directors
of children’s services, to focus on
championing the interests of parents
and children who most need support”
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• Discuss
• john.fowler@lgiu.org.uk