HM Government

Education has been a top priority for the Government over the last decade. We have doubled investment per pupil and coupled this with far-reaching reform. The result has been much higher standards across the board and a substantial narrowing of the attainment gap for schools with high proportions of pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds.

The Children's Plan set out our agenda for achieving excellence and equity: driving up standards for all, while continuing to narrow the gaps for individual pupils. Our ambition is world-class schools which raise standards for all pupils, give targeted help to those who need more help to succeed, stretch those that are gifted and talented, and are clearly situated at the heart of their communities.

Our vision for schools is excellent quality teaching of an engaging curriculum, in an environment of good behaviour and high quality facilities, with excellent leadership and support from beyond the school when it is needed. Continued investment, the development of a new school report card, the roll-out of one-to-one support and personalised learning and the continued expansion of academies will all help achieve these goals. But nothing will make as large a difference as the quality of teaching, which is why in this chapter we are focusing on policies that attract more talent into the profession and deploy the most effective teachers to where they are most needed.