§ Lynne JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what her Department's aims for a comprehensive school system are. [1130]
§ Mr. TimmsOur aims for a comprehensive school system are to give all young people the opportunity to acquire the skills, attitudes and formal qualifications necessary for their personal development, lifelong learning, work and citizenship. This means that all schools must deliver a broad and balanced curriculum including literacy, numeracy and information and communication technology. At secondary level they must also provide high-quality pathways able to meet the needs of individuals, be they academic or vocational. In order to better achieve these aims, we want to increase diversity by enabling each school to develop a distinct mission, ethos and character and, provided it demonstrates success, have the autonomy to manage its own affairs.