Shake-up for capital's schools

London's schools face particular problems

London's schools are getting their own government minister, a schools commissioner, and funding for centres for gifted pupils and leadership training.

In what some are seeing as a revival of the spirit of the Inner London Education Authority - scrapped by the Tories - the Education Secretary, Estelle Morris, will say on Monday that there is a lack of strategy for the capital's schools.

So she is putting the newly-appointed Minister for Young People and Learning, Stephen Twigg, onto the case.

Mr Twigg, the MP for Enfield Southgate, will work with a new commissioner for London's schools - yet to be named.

'Life-changing work'

"London presents us with a unique set of challenges on an incomparable scale," she said in a speech at South Camden Community School.

"But that does not mean we should simply accept standards will somehow always be lower."

There were many excellent schools in the capital but not enough.

"I cannot praise teachers and support staff enough for the work they do in tough situations," she said.

"They change young people's lives every day of the week."

Pay strike

But she said progress had been too slow.

London - with its high cost of living - has particular problems in recruiting teachers.

Members of the National Union of Teachers recently staged a one-day pay strike over London weighting allowances.

Ms Morris is asking the group which advises her on pay and conditions, the School Teachers Review Body, to suggest ways of finding and keeping staff.

The NUT leader, Doug McAvoy, said she would have to move very fast to stem the departure of teachers.

Private schooling

But there is also something of a crisis of parental confidence in its schools.

Almost twice as many children are educated privately as in the country as a whole.

Only about 60% of parents get their first choice of secondary school for their child, compared with 85% overall.

Ms Morris said school leadership in London was of "variable" quality, and able pupils were not being stretched.

More money

So there is to be investment in training for head teachers and in extra classes for bright pupils.

Thirteen inner London boroughs will share £10m to be used to set up centres for "gifted and talented" children.

And the National College for School Leadership, which is based at Nottingham University, will invest £7.5m in a London Leadership Centre.

Another response is to set up 25 of the new city academies in London - state schools which have an independent status and which are sponsored by business, faith or other charitable interest groups.

The leader of the Secondary Heads' Association, John Dunford, said that in promoting a greater diversity of secondary schools, the government was in danger of creating a hierarchy - making the problems of some schools even worse.

"This must be avoided at all costs."

Unconvinced

The general secretary of the NASUWT teachers' union, Eamonn O'Kane, said it was clear the government was now recognising the immensity of the problems facing the education service in London.

"The jury will be out on whether some of her proposed solutions, such as an increase in the number of city academies, will help in tackling those problems," he said.

"There can, however, be no doubt as to the solution to the horrendous problem of teacher recruitment and retention - a significant and substantial improvement to the allowances paid to London's teachers."

He said that putting Stephen Twigg in charge merely underlined the divisiveness of having 32 boroughs doing what he said should be a London-wide task.

"It demonstrates, yet again, the ideological vandalism shown by the former Conservative government in breaking up the Inner London Education Authority."

The chair of the Association of London Government's education panel, Louisa Woodley, said: "Today's recognition by the government of the challenges faced by London's schools is extremely welcome, especially as it will provide additional money to help enhance the education of our children."