HL Deb 14 July 2004 vol 663 cc1247-50

3.11 p.m.

Baroness Sharp of Guildford

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether there is any evidence that city academy status will help regenerate failing inner-city schools.

Baroness Ashton of Upholland:

My Lords, academies are addressing deep-seated and longstanding educational failure. It will take time for the new leadership, buildings and curriculum to turn things round. However, of the three academies with GCSE results in 2003, the number of 5A* to C grades rose in two to 21 per cent and 35 per cent respectively from 7 per cent and 25 per cent in 2002, and the other had results broadly comparable with its predecessor schools. Academies are also improving behaviour and attendance.

Baroness Sharp of Guildford:

My Lords, I thank the Minister for her reply. Is she aware that in the evidence that he gave to the Select Committee last week, the Secretary of State admitted that with only 12 academies up and running, there was, in his own words, very little evidence to support the success or otherwise of such academies? Is she further aware that an evaluation is promised later this year on the 12 pilots that are up and running? Does she not agree that for a government who pride themselves on evidenced-based policy, it would have been sensible to await that evaluation before embarking on a £5 billion expansion programme of city academies?

Baroness Ashton of Upholland:

My Lords, I believe that in my reply I agreed with the comments of my right honourable friend the Secretary of State. I gave the evidence to the noble Baroness as we have it. It is important that we have the PricewaterhouseCoopers review and evaluation, but children cannot wait. We have deliberately developed a policy of putting academies into areas of the country where we have the kind of deep-seated educational failure which means that what is offered to our children is simply not good enough. Here is a new mechanism which we believe could inspire greater leadership and better academic attainment and which is important for children now.

Lord Corbett of Castle Vale:

My Lords, is my noble friend aware that Castle Vale School in Erdington, my former constituency in Birmingham, which a few years ago became a specialist performing arts college, is now one of the most successful schools among many successful schools in the City of Birmingham? That has been under the inspiring leadership of Mrs Janet Putman, who has been headteacher there for about 11 years and is now to retire. Will my noble friend join me in celebrating that success and agree that inspiring leadership and commitment among the management of any school, whatever is nailed to the front gate, is the key to success?

Baroness Ashton of Upholland:

My Lords, I think that all noble Lords will join in the celebration of Mrs Putman's achievements with the school. Every survey that we or Ofsted have undertaken indicates that the quality and strength of leadership is one of the most critical factors in determining the success of a school. It is something to be celebrated and something that every school should have.

The Lord Bishop of Salisbury:

My Lords, in view of the withdrawal of the partnership initiatives which have been promised to Church secondary schools, what will the Government offer the Churches in support of their continuing commitment to serving the inner cities' educational needs?

Baroness Ashton of Upholland:

My Lords, that is slightly wide of the Question before me. The relationship between Church of England and Church schools and the way in which the Government take forward education policy is a critical factor. I am happy to pursue that with the right reverend Prelate and with the right reverend Prelate the Bishop of Portsmouth in his role as chairman of the Church of England Board of Education.

Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer:

My Lords, I declare an interest as a Somerset county councillor, although I make it clear that Somerset has no failing schools. What is the rationale employed by the Government in enabling someone to take over, for a proportionately small sum of £2 million, a multimillion pound school building and a subsequent school running project, especially as it seems that it will be free from government control? What rationale are the Government following?

Baroness Ashton of Upholland:

My Lords, that is not the most accurate description of the way the academies programme will work. I should be happy to give the noble Baroness a more lengthy description. This is about bringing in creative, entrepreneurial aspects to enable schools such as those I have indicated, which have had a succession of failure, to offer something different to help our children to succeed. There is a funding agreement—I have placed a copy in the Library of the House—to ensure that the Government play a key role in ensuring that such schools are run effectively and properly. The academies are inspected, and we have advisers working with them. We have very high aspirations and we expect them to achieve.

Baroness Seccombe:

My Lords, have the Government received any representation on the effects of city academies on social deprivation in inner-city areas?

Baroness Ashton of Upholland:

My Lords, I do not believe that we have had any representations. I shall write to the noble Baroness if I discover that we have. The academy programme is run in schools in areas of highest deprivation, and therefore provides a new asset for schools. The academies which are open and those which are about to open have received many applications from parents who wish their children to attend. We hope that the academies will succeed in providing a first-class education for our children.

Baroness Carnegy of Lour:

My Lords, can the Minister confirm what I believe about city academies; that is, that the secret is not just setting free leadership but enabling the leadership of the school to set free the professionalism of staff in the school to run things in the way they want? I wonder whether the Minister is as sorry as I am that the Liberal Democrats are not keen on that.

Baroness Ashton of Upholland:

My Lords, I understand all political views in your Lordships' House and I understand that people may feel nervous about something new in the system. However, we know that uniformity is not always the best approach for our children. We have some very good schools in our system and some excellent teachers. However, over the years some schools have consistently failed our students. We have to ensure that we bring to bear all of the best in our society to support them. The academy model is but one part of the toolkit available to the department to try to support children in all settings.