Educational excellence everywhere- white paper response

As I’m sure many of you will have already seen, today the Secretary of State for Education Nicky Morgan has presented the white paper – ‘Educational Excellence Everywhere’.

The paper sets out the government’s plans to deliver “educational excellence everywhere, so that every child and young person can access world class provision, achieving to the best of his or her ability regardless of location, prior attainment and background.”

CREC directors, Dr Chris Pascal & Dr Tony Bertram, had this to say after reading this morning’s publication:

“At the Nursery School APPG meeting at the House of Commons earlier this month, we were promoting the need for Nursery Schools to be viewed as schools and not analogous to the PVI sector providers and so to be allowed to have Academy Status.

This would mean they would be able to take on a full role as the local system leaders for early years, in the pursuit of early educational excellence. This would be achieved through the work of the local Teaching School Alliances and other system improvement networks.

We believe that the new White Paper 'Educational Excellence Everywhere' should explicitly include nursery schools in its 'everywhere', and take up the opportunity for this small but important addition to the identified changes in statutory regulations to be made.

This addition would also allow Nursery Schools to come within the remit of the Regional Schools Commissioners, and be in a position to be deployed for ‘early years improvement’, congruent to the ‘school improvement’ agenda.

The head teacher advisory boards to the Regional Schools Commissioners would then include a nursery academy head, with voice and power in the new system. The new White Paper provides a real opportunity for a significant shift to be achieved in the role and status of Nursery schools within a reformed school system, and it should not be missed!”

 - Chris Pascal and Tony Bertram