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Brown outlines education vision Brown outlines education vision
(10 minutes later)
Gordon Brown has announced a drive to raise aspiration and achievement among children and to eradicate failure from England's schools.Gordon Brown has announced a drive to raise aspiration and achievement among children and to eradicate failure from England's schools.
The Prime Minister said councils would be encouraged to use new powers to intervene in failing schools.The Prime Minister said councils would be encouraged to use new powers to intervene in failing schools.
Britain needed to do more to close the achievement gap between children from different backgrounds, he said.Britain needed to do more to close the achievement gap between children from different backgrounds, he said.
And he announced plans to overhaul the apprenticeship system to make training more widely available.And he announced plans to overhaul the apprenticeship system to make training more widely available.
Minimum standards in England's schools would be raised over the next five years, with all schools needing to have 30% of their pupils achieving five high grade GCSEs by 2012-13, the prime minister announced.Minimum standards in England's schools would be raised over the next five years, with all schools needing to have 30% of their pupils achieving five high grade GCSEs by 2012-13, the prime minister announced.
Schools which failed to meet that target could face being taken over by interim management boards, or by other successful schools including independent schools, or be turned into academies. Schools which failed to meet that target could face being taken over by interim management boards, or by other successful schools including independent schools, or being turned into academies.
Mr Brown talked of the need for greater parental engagement with schools and children's learning. That was the "single biggest determinant" of a child's achievement at school, he said. "We can no longer tolerate failure," he said.
He outlined his vision for education: "No longer acceptable for any school to fail its pupils, no longer acceptable for young people to drop out of education without good qualifications without us acting.
"No more toleration of second best in Britain - no more toleration of second best for Britain."
Mr Brown talked of the need for greater parental engagement with schools and children's learning.
That was the "single biggest determinant" of a child's achievement at school, he said.