The press release issued by the Department for Education on 16 May 2012.

Education Secretary Michael Gove has today submitted evidence to the School Teachers’ Review Body (STRB) – the independent body which makes recommendations on teachers’ pay reforms.

He has set out a strong case for reform, to free up the current system of teachers’ pay to ensure that teaching is a rewarding and attractive career.

The evidence highlights that in order to drive up the quality of teaching and standards in schools, we need arrangements for teachers’ pay which:

• reward good performance and attract the highest performing graduates and professionals into the profession;
• give schools as much freedom as possible to spend their money as they see fit to meet their pupils’ needs;
• ensure the best teachers are incentivised to work in the most challenging schools; and
• provide the best value for money for the taxpayer.

Earlier this month, a major survey of teachers found widespread support for a link between teachers’ pay and their performance, with three-quarters of teachers believing that annual salary increases should be linked to performance.

Evidence shows that improving the quality of teaching is essential to driving up standards in schools. Pupils taught by good teachers score nearly half a GCSE point more per subject than pupils taught by poor teachers. The impact is even more significant for pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds, according to the Sutton Trust. For poor pupils, the difference between a very good teacher and a bad teacher may be a whole year’s education.

The Government’s initial teaching training (ITT) strategy – Training our next generation of outstanding teachers – published last year set out reforms to attract the best graduates into the profession. However, the current teachers’ pay system is too rigid, complex and difficult to navigate. It does not support schools in recruiting and retaining the best into the profession.

Under the current system:

• automatic pay progression means there is a poor link between a teacher’s performance and reward;
• national pay scales mean schools in some parts of the country struggle to recruit and retain good teachers, while others may be paying salaries which are significantly above local professional pay levels; and
• a number of other barriers prevent schools from responding to local labour market conditions.

In February this year, the Secretary of State commissioned the STRB to consider how reforms could be made to address this, along with teacher shortages in specific subjects and in certain areas of the country.

As a first stage in the process, the STRB has called for evidence from a wide range of stakeholders, including the Government and teacher and head teacher unions.

The Government sets out a number of possible options for reform for the STRB, as the experts, to consider. These include:

• varying level of prescription in national pay arrangements;
• setting a minimum and or maximum pay level; and
• exploring the possibility of having local pay zones.

Education Secretary Michael Gove said:

Ensuring there are enough teachers, and that those teachers are of the highest quality, is critical to driving up standards in our schools.

Reform of the current pay system for teachers is fundamental to driving up teacher quality. The current pay system is rigid, complex and difficult to navigate. It does not support schools to recruit and retain the high quality teachers or leaders they need to address specific shortages and benefit their pupils.

I look forward to the STRB’s recommendations in due course.

Following careful consideration of all the evidence submitted, the STRB will make recommendations for reform to the Secretary of State in the autumn. He will then, after considering the recommendations and having listened carefully to the profession’s view, ask the STRB to produce more detailed recommendations for implementation of the preferred options for reform. It is expected that the accepted recommendations will start to be implemented from September 2013.

The press release issued by the Department for Education on 16 May 2012.

Charlie Taylor, the government’s adviser on behaviour, speaks at the Academies Show on helping children who are in difficulty.

In our society when a child becomes ill we reach out to them, we instinctively keep them close and look after them. This response is sadly not always the case when children become emotionally distressed, especially when this distress is communicated through violence and aggression. Rather than being helped, children in difficulty are often pushed away and ignored. Let’s look at the numbers, only 1.4 per cent of pupils who go to PRUs leave with five good GCSEs, that is one fortieth of the percentage for children in mainstream school. The Ministry of Justice in research after the riots revealed that 86 per cent children in the criminal justice system had been in alternative provision.

Don’t get me wrong, these children can be extremely difficult to manage and they take an enormous toll on their teachers and their classmates. Many cannot, nor should remain in mainstream school, but we must have a system that gives them what they need to change. If we don’t then we will all pay a heavy price as we saw last summer.

In September last year as a result of the riots, Michael Gove asked me to conduct a review into Alternative Provision (AP) including Pupil Referral Units (PRUs). Many of the children in the riots had been excluded from school and were growing up on the streets. Children like these who crave boundaries and companionship look elsewhere for it, and for many, a local gang provides the structure and a sense of belonging that has been missing at home or school.

In many cases schools send pupils who are in danger of exclusion to an alternative provider. This provision can be anything from a day a week doing car mechanics to a full-time college course. The best are terrific, but in my travels round the country for the review I was been shocked by what some schools are doing. They find the cheapest provider, irrespective of quality. Sometimes they pay less money than they receive from the government for each pupil.

There is virtually no accountability in the system for the way schools use AP. With a lack of incentive or direction from schools, the worst alternative providers are little more than holding pens to keep children quiet until they leave school. They become prolific at pool or sit on Facebook all day, without making academic or any other meaningful progress.

Commissioning is piecemeal, there are no follow up meetings and no targets set for the alternative provider or the pupil. The message is pretty clear – “I don’t care what you do with this pupil as long as I never have to see him again.”

Children who are excluded from school usually end up in a PRU. The best PRUs do a remarkable job of engaging their pupils, helping them to change their behaviour and providing outstanding teaching which helps the pupils to move successfully on to the next phase of their life.

But many are bleak, depressing places where children fail to make any meaningful progress.

Often these PRUs are the council’s provision of last resort for children who, for all sorts of reasons, aren’t in mainstream education. There is a one-size-fits all approach that means that children with severe behavioural issues are in the same unit as, for example, a girl who has been severely bullied.

PRUs are often remote from the schools from where they have inherited pupils. There is not sharing of expertise from PRUs to schools on improving behaviour – or from schools to PRUs in improving learning.

Schools fund their local PRU through a top slice of their Dedicated Schools Grant whether they use it or not and irrespective of whether it is any good.

The Government is trying out a new approach to exclusions whereby schools remain responsible for the education of children they permanently exclude, but they, rather than the local authority receive the funding.

Cambridgeshire has developed this approach and the results have been impressive. The PRU has fallen in size from 700 places to just 150. Schools are using the money to make early provision for children before they have gone so far off the rails that exclusion becomes the only option.

This policy provides great opportunities for academies, they can now open alternative provision free schools in order to support these children. In September, East Birmingham Network free school will open. A group of mainstream schools have got together, pooled resources and expertise in order to provide for their most challenging children. What a fantastic, creative solution – imagine the possibilities nationally: the best academies bringing their academic rigour and first class teaching combine to create bespoke, effective provision for their most difficult and vulnerable children. They know their pupils, they know what they need to flourish and they will create free schools that will make a significant difference to the life chances of these children. More applications from groups of schools and academy chains to open alternative provision free schools are in the pipeline as head teachers begin to realise the possibilities.

From September this year the first PRUs will convert to become alternative provision academies. They are going to follow a range of routes from multi-academy trusts, to sponsored solutions to stand alone academies. In PRUs there are some of the best leaders in the education world and as academies they will be able to grow and adapt to the needs of their pupils and to those of local schools. No longer will they have to be pushed and pulled by the whims and priorities of local authorities as many currently are. They will sit in the heart of their communities using their expertise to help schools to help our most difficult children to succeed.

This government is changing the education world in England, the opportunities are limitless. We are already seeing how academies are transforming the lives and the life chances of our children. But as we head onwards we must not leave our most vulnerable children trailing in our wake. By setting up free schools or supporting or sponsoring their local PRUs academies will ensure that truly no child is left behind.

 

The press release issued by the Department for Education on 29 September 2022.

GCSE, AS, and A level exams in England will largely return to pre-pandemic arrangements next summer as young people continue to recover from the pandemic.

In line with the plans set out last September, Ofqual has confirmed a return to pre-pandemic grading in 2023.

To protect students against the disruption of recent years, and in case students’ performance is slightly lower than before the pandemic, senior examiners will use the grades achieved by previous cohorts of pupils, along with prior attainment data, to inform their decisions about where to set grade boundaries.

This mirrors the approach used in the first years of reformed GCSEs and A levels in 2017, when early cohorts were protected against the impact of changes to the qualifications and means, for example, a typical A level student who would have achieved a grade A before the pandemic will be just as likely to get an A this summer.

The government is also confirming that students should continue to be provided with support in GCSE mathematics, physics and combined science with formulae and equation sheets, but not with advance information of exam content, as was the case last year.

The decisions reflect the reduced levels of disruption this cohort have experienced compared to the cohorts of the previous two years. Ofqual has launched a consultation on the plans for formulae and equation sheets today.

Education Secretary Kit Malthouse said:

Students working towards their qualifications next year expect fairness in exams and grading arrangements, which is why we are transitioning back to pre-pandemic normality.

Schools are doing a great job in supporting students to catch up and get back on track including through the National Tutoring Programme, which continues to provide one-to-one or small group tuition to students that need extra help.

Chief Regulator, Dr Jo Saxton said:

This summer was an important step back towards normality. Our plans for 2023 take us a step further, whilst also recognising the impact of Covid.

I’ve visited schools and colleges up and down the country and I’ve seen young people’s admirable resilience and dedication. Giving the 2023 cohort some protection against any impact of Covid disruption is the right thing to do. Our approach to grading in 2023 will provide a soft landing for students as we continue the process of taking the exam system back to normal.

Ofqual already announced earlier this year that pre-pandemic arrangements for non-exam assessment, fieldwork and practical science have been reinstated. The department confirmed at the same time that schools and colleges this year will be teaching the full content of qualifications to students taking exams in 2023.

Arrangements for vocational and technical qualifications (VTQs) and other general qualifications were confirmed in May 2022.

Ofqual does not expect any further adaptations to be used in VTQs. Awarding organisations are expected to take account of the approach, including in relation to grading, used in general qualifications so that students taking VTQs are not advantaged or disadvantaged in comparison.

UCAS Chief Executive Clare Marchant said:

We welcome today’s announcement by the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation (Ofqual).

As an independent charity, UCAS’s aim is to help students make informed decisions about their future that are right for them, whether pursuing university, college or an apprenticeship, and this early clarification means students will be able to apply with confidence in the 2023 cycle.

Higher education admissions is becoming more competitive, with a 1/3 increase in 18-year-olds forecast to apply by 2026. This decision will support teachers and advisors in giving the best guidance to their students, as well as enable universities and colleges to make offers with certainty.

David Hughes, Chief Executive of the Association of Colleges, said:

The move back to a grading profile in line with pre-pandemic levels, with some protection, is the right thing to do now. It gives certainty to everyone in the system – students, parents, teachers, advisers, employers – but we also need to be alert to the ongoing impact that pandemic lockdowns have had for many young people on mental health, confidence and study skills and make sure they get the support they need.

A series of further consultations relating to qualifications next year and in future years has also been launched today:

• The department and Ofqual are jointly consulting on guidance to schools and colleges about gathering assessment evidence to support resilience in the general qualifications system. The guidance proposes schools and colleges gather evidence in a way that aligns with their normal arrangements for preparing students for exams, helping ensure preparedness should a scenario ever again arise where it would be unsafe or unfair for students to sit exams.
• The department and Ofqual are both consulting on plans to remove the expectation that students engage with unfamiliar and abstract material, such as unfamiliar vocabulary, within modern foreign language (MFL) GCSE assessments from 2023 onwards. The Department’s consultation covers the curriculum, while Ofqual’s covers how it is assessed.
• The Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ) are consulting on the exam timetable for next summer, which seeks to maintain some of the space built into the exam timetable last year between the first and last exams in the same subject. This spacing was well received by schools and colleges in 2022 and reduces the chance of students missing all exams in a subject due to circumstances such as illness.

The department’s decisions on next year’s arrangements reflect that schools remained open to all pupils through the last academic year, with this year’s cohort having the opportunity to benefit from time in the classroom with teachers and interventions such as the National Tutoring Programme, compared to students from the previous two cohorts.

The government is investing nearly £5 billion to support students’ recovery from the impact of the pandemic, including £1.5 billion for tutoring programmes and almost £2 billion in direct funding, largely targeted at those that need help most.

Over 2 million courses have now started through the National Tutoring Programme, including 1.8 million so far across an estimated 80% of schools – helping children to catch up with learning loss.

The press release issued by the Department for Education on 15 May 2012.

Health, education and care services legally required to work together

Parents are to get a new legal right to buy in specialist special educational needs (SEN) and disabled care for their children, under plans set out today by Children’s Minister Sarah Teather.

For the first time ever, parents will be given the power to control personal budgets for their children with severe, profound or multiple health and learning – meaning they can choose the expert support that is right for their child, instead of local authorities (LAs) being the sole provider.

The biggest reform of SEN for 30 years will also force education, health and social care services to plan services together by law – so when their children are assessed, parents will be assured they will get full provision to address their children’s needs.

Often it is not clear to parents, and to local services, who is responsible for delivering on the statement of special needs. Services such as speech and language therapy may appear in the statement but are funded and commissioned by local health services.

Sarah Teather said that would stop the ‘agonising’ battle many parents fight to get the support for their families, as they are forced to go from ‘pillar to post’ between different authorities and agencies.

She said it would end the delays children face by undergoing multiple check-ups over many months, sweeping away the current outdated, slow and complex system.

The reforms are set out in the Government’s formal response to the public consultation on its green paper, Support and Aspiration published today.

The main elements are:

• Replacing SEN statements and separate learning difficulty assessments (for older children) with a single, simpler birth to 25 years assessment process and education, health and care plan from 2014. Parents with the plans would have the right to a personal budget for their support.
• Providing statutory protections comparable to those currently associated with a statement of SEN to up to 25-years-old in further education – instead of there being a ‘cliff edge’ when it is cut off at 16, to help young people into employment and independent living.
• LAs and health services will be required to link up services for disabled children and young people – so they are jointly planned and commissioned.
• Requiring LAs to publish a local offer showing the support available to disabled children and young people and those with SEN, and their families.
• Introducing mediation for disputes and trialling giving children the right to appeal if they are unhappy with their support.
• Children would have a new legal right to seek a place at state academies and Free Schools – currently it is limited to maintained mainstream and special schools. LAs would have to name the parent’s preferred school so long it was suitable for the child.

The consultation had a huge response – with around 2,400 formal responses giving broad support for the reforms. The changes are already being piloted in 20 local pathfinders. The interim evaluation reports are due in summer and late autumn this year with a final report in 2013.

The Children and Families Bill announced in last week’s Queen’s Speech will now put legislation in place for the reforms.

Children’s Minister Sarah Teather said:

The current system is outdated and not fit for purpose. Thousands of families have had to battle for months, even years, with different agencies to get the specialist care their children need. It is unacceptable they are forced to go from pillar to post, facing agonising delays and bureaucracy to get support, therapy and equipment.

These reforms will put parents in charge. We trust parents to do the right thing for their own child because they know what is best. The right to a personal budget will give them real choice and control of care, instead of councils and health services dictating how they get support.

It is a huge step forward to require health, education and care services work together. The reforms will give parents better information and a comprehensive package of support that meets their needs.

Christine Lenehan, Director of the Council for Disabled Children, the Government’s strategic partner on its SEN reforms, said:

We are delighted that the Government continues to support disabled children and those with special educational needs. Tackling the battleground for families by ensuring joined-up local services and clear local information is to be warmly welcomed.

The green paper response also confirms a £3 million supported internships trial will be launched in 15 further education colleges this autumn, for 16- to 25-year-olds with the most complex learning difficulties or disabilities; and the possibility for all colleges to offer supported internships from September 2013.

The programme will provide structured study, based at an employer, which is tailored to the individual needs of the young person and will equip them with the skills they need for the workplace. This will include on-the-job training, backed by expert ‘job coaches’ to support interns and employers, and the chance to study for relevant qualifications – where appropriate.

The press release issued by the Department of Education on 15 May 2012.

New advice to schools will make clear that they will no longer be able to use pupils’ biometric data without parental consent. The advice, launched today for consultation, comes into effect from September 2013.

Schools Minister Nick Gibb said children’s biometric data was sensitive personal information and parents must have the right to prevent its use by schools and colleges. Pupils also have the right to refuse to participate and these provisions are explained in the guidance.

The advice has been updated to take into account new measures in the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012, which has now gained Royal Assent. It will clearly set out to schools and colleges that use biometric recognition systems, such as fingerprint identification and facial scanning, that:

• For all pupils in schools and colleges under 18, they must obtain the written consent of a parent before they take and process their child’s biometric data.
• They must treat the data with appropriate care and must comply with data protection principles as set out in the Data Protection Act 1998.
• They must provide alternative means for accessing services where a parent or pupil has refused consent.

Frequently asked questions and optional templates for notification and consent will also be included in the advice.

The Government has been clear that parents should have the right to prevent the use of their child’s personal data in automated biometric recognition systems. This commitment was underlined in the Coalition’s manifesto, Our programme for government.

Schools Minister Nick Gibb said:

Biometrics in schools is a sensitive issue. We want schools to be in no doubt of their responsibilities when it comes to young people’s personal data.

I have heard from many angry parents after they have learned that their children’s personal data was being used by schools without their knowledge. The new legislation gives the power back to parents, as it requires parental consent before the information can be collected.

In the age of the internet, identity and the integrity of biometric data are of increasing importance. Young people need to understand from an early age the sensitivity of such personal data. The provisions of the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 and the accompanying advice to schools will help to reinforce that message.

Some schools and colleges use biometric technologies such as fingerprint identification and facial scanning. These may be used to record attendance, grant access to libraries and to process cashless payments. The benefits to schools include site safety and the speed and ease of access to services.

The consultation is aimed at proprietors, governing bodies, head teachers, principals and staff. The Department wants schools and colleges to be able to accommodate the new duties without increasing the burden on them. The consultation seeks feedback on the clarity of the Department’s advice ahead of its final publication later in the year. It runs for 12 weeks and closes on 3 August 2012.

Further Education Minister John Hayes said:

It is absolutely right that what we do in schools is consistent with the approach in colleges and, in that spirit, I welcome this consultation.

The press release issued by the Department for Education on 27 April 2012.

A Department for Education spokesman said:

The department’s investigation into the Priory Federation revealed serious failings of key individuals in relation to financial management. The Trust has accepted responsibility and the CEO has now left. The department has also referred this matter to the police.

Unfortunately no system of financial audit can guarantee it will prevent all wrongdoing. When concerns were raised, the department carried out a full investigation. When its findings were provided to the Priory, its chief executive left the organisation the same day. The Priory Federation is also taking further action as set out in their response.

The financial accountability systems in place for academies are more rigorous than those for maintained schools. Unlike maintained schools, academies must have their accounts externally audited. But lessons can always be learned and we will consider whether we need to strengthen our systems at federation level.

The press release issued by the Department for Education on 26 April 2012.

In response to Polly Toynbee’s comment published on guardian.co.uk on 24 May 2010, School’s Minister Nick Gibb explains and justifies recent changes in the Department’s funding allocation arrangements.

Dear Sir,

Polly Toynbee is completely wrong to claim we are cutting support for children falling behind (The Guardian’s comment is free: 24/05/10).

We’re actually doing exactly what the taxpayer expects – protecting core schools, college and Sure Start funding in the financial year 2010 to 2011 but not hesitating in cutting out bureaucracy, waste or unused spending.

We are spending £256 million in the financial year 2010 to 2011 for 7- to 16-year-olds who need catch-up support in English or maths this year so no child due to receive help will miss out. But we are handing £47 million of centrally-held funding, unallocated by the previous government, back to the Treasury as part of our savings package.

We will continue to spend £89 million this year in the Every Child schemes giving extra support for 5- to 8-year-olds in the three Rs. But we are able to release over £5 million, mainly from unallocated spending because the Department for Education had planned for a higher number of teacher leaders in writing than needed. All local authorities who want to take part in the programmes this year can still do so.

And longer-term we are clear that while there will be difficult decisions ahead, we will take the right balance between urgent action to manage the public finances; protecting frontline education services; and using the pupil premium to give significant extra funding for disadvantaged children who need the most support.

Yours faithfully,

Nick Gibb
Schools Minister

 

The press release issued by the Department for Education on 26 April 2012.

GCSE pupils’ reading is more than a year behind the standard of their peers in Shanghai, Korea and Finland, research reveals today.

Fifteen-year-olds in England are also at least six months behind those in Hong Kong, Singapore, Canada, New Zealand, Japan and Australia, according to the Department for Education’s (DfE) analysis of the OECD’s 2009 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) study.

To match the attainment of pupils from Shanghai in the reading assessment:

• The proportion of England’s pupils achieving five A*-C grades (including English and maths) at the end of Key Stage 4 would need to increase by 22 percentage points.
• For all maintained schools in England this would be an increase from 55 per cent of pupils achieving the threshold measure (in 2010) to 77 per cent.

The DfE’s PISA 2009 Study: How Big is the Gap? highlights how far England has slipped behind other nations in reading.

Schools Minister Nick Gibb said that the Government was taking urgent action to ensure England could match those countries which had closed the gap between the achievements of rich and poor pupils, while raising the attainment of all.

He said:

The gulf between our 15-year-olds’ reading abilities and those from other countries is stark – a gap that starts to open in the very first few years of a child’s education. The Government’s focus on raising standards of reading in the early years of primary school is key to closing that gap.

We are introducing a phonics check for six-year-olds, so those with reading problems can be identified before it is too late and can be given the extra help they need to catch up.

Having learnt to read, they can then go on to read to learn, and to read for pleasure. Almost 40 per cent of pupils in England never read for enjoyment. The difference in reading ability between these pupils and those who read for just half an hour a day is equivalent to a year’s schooling at age 15.

We are also bringing in a new spelling, punctuation, grammar and vocabulary test for 11-year-olds and are re-introducing marks for spelling, punctuation and grammar in relevant GCSE exams.

Nick Gibb added:

Our writers – Charles Dickens and Charlotte Bronte, George Orwell and Ian McEwan – are the finest in the world. It is time we are also among the best readers in the world.

The DfE analysis also calculates the reading gap in terms of GCSE grades. It puts Shanghai’s 15-year-olds the equivalent of 11 GCSE grades ahead of our pupils, while Korea’s are eight grades better off. Those in Finland and Hong Kong are seven grades ahead.

This means that while a typical pupil at the end of Key Stage 4 in England achieves eight C grades in their best eight GCSEs or equivalent exams, one in Shanghai would score three As and five Bs in their best eight GCSEs – a total of 11 grades better off.

Attainment gap between England and the countries performing significantly better than England in the PISA 2009 reading assessment expressed using various measures of attainment.

	Reading strand
	Difference in pupil attainment…
Comparison Country1	…in GCSE grades	…in % pupils achieving 5 A*-C (inc. English and Maths)	…in years’ progress
Shanghai – China	11	22%	1.5
Korea	8	16%	1.1
Finland	7	16%	1
Hong Kong – China	7	15%	0.9
Singapore	6	13%	0.7
Canada	5	13%	0.7
New Zealand	5	13%	0.7
Japan	5	11%	0.6
Australia	4	9%	0.5
Netherlands	3	6%	0.3
Belgium	2	6%	0.3
Norway	2	3%	0.2
Iceland	1	3%	0.1

Source: OECD, PISA 2009 Database

The OECD PISA studies compare the abilities of pupils across a number of countries. The studies in 2000, 2003 and 2006 focused on reading, maths and science respectively.

The 2009 study returned to reading as the main focus but also looked at maths and science. In the former, 20 countries scored significantly higher than England, with Shanghai top. England was also out-scored by Estonia, Iceland, Denmark and Slovenia. In science, Shanghai again leads the rankings. Estonia and Australia are among the nine other countries significantly ahead of England’s 15-year-olds.

Across all three strands, England has tumbled down the international tables in the last nine years – from 7th to 25th in reading; 8th to 28th in maths; and 4th to 16th in science.

The research shows that high-performing nations have the following in common. They:

• recruit and develop excellent teachers
• allow greater freedoms for schools and leaders
• have clear standards, high expectations, and external exams
• have effective identification and sharing of best practice
• have clear, transparent and proportionate assessment and accountability systems.

The press release issued by the Department for Education on 26 April 2012.

In recent years the main exam result information available has been the proportion achieving five A* to C GCSEs or equivalent, including English and maths.

This year a new measure has been introduced, showing the percentage of children in a school who achieve the English Baccalaureate.

And over 14 million “hidden” exam results have been opened up to the public so parents are able to rank schools by seeing:

• The number of children who enter each GCSE subject in a school.
• The number of children who get certain grades in each GCSE subject in a school (for example, the number of children who get A*-A in History GCSE).
• The number and proportion of students in each school achieving five A* to C grades including English and maths, with and without GCSE equivalencies.
• The number and proportion of students in schools taking each component of the English Baccalaureate – for each subject and the grades achieved in English, maths, science, languages and a humanity.

This new data means that parents will get a proper and detailed understanding of the performance of local schools. They will then be able to make the most appropriate choices for their children. The new information will drive schools to improve standards across the board, not just in certain league table measures.

Education Secretary Michael Gove said:

We live in an age when people expect more information, not less, in all areas of life. Our schools should be no different. For too long exam results in schools have been hidden.

Parents have been desperate for more information on schools but too little has been available in the past. By publishing all this data we are giving parents the ability to choose the right school for their child.

It will drive standards across the board and ensure that schools are accountable for their performance.

Today’s publication comes after school-by-school spending data for 2009-10 was also published alongside the January performance tables. This allows parents, researchers and the public to look at how much each individual institution spends per pupil on staffing, energy, catering and other costs.

The press release issued by the Department for Education on 26 April 2012.