GTC responds to Prime Minister's speech

The GTC has responded to the Prime Minister’s speech at the national conference of the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust (SSAT) (01 Dec 2006). The GTC said:

"The General Teaching Council wants to see real choice for pupils and parents, so that the catch phrase ‘personalised learning’ has real meaning and content. That means shaping the curriculum around the individual needs and interests of the pupil and really responding to pupils’ views about how they can best learn and develop. It means more than catch up classes, more than programmes for the gifted and talented. It means using public funds strategically where they can have most impact and offer best value for money in targeting underachievement.

"New types of school, such as academies, are not the only means to achieve this type of change. It is the way that we teach, the way we support children and families and the curriculum we offer, that really matters.

 
"Whilst it is right to be ambitious for our children, imposing more and more sets of targets may not be the best means of achieving what we want. There is a risk that schools will perceive Academies offering the International Baccalaureate as the Government sanctioned ‘gold standard’. We must not lose focus on the creation of credible 14–19 qualifications for pupils at risk of underachievement and on collaborative provision between schools and FE."

A transcript of the Prime Minister’s speech is available on the 10 Downing Street website.