Private schools 'should share expertise'
Private school teachers should spend time at comprehensives
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Saturday, 26, May 2007 08:48
Private schools will be compelled to 'loan' their teachers and facilities to comprehensives under radical new plans unveiled by education secretary Alan Johnson.
Mr Johnson, a frontrunner to succeed John Prescott as Labour's deputy leader, says that the best independent schools in England and Wales risk losing their charitable status if they do not share their "expertise" with schools in their local areas.
According to the Daily Telegraph, the Conservative party are also considering adopting a similar policy, possibly heralding a new consensus on how best to improve standards in under-performing schools.
The move follows legislation that forced private schools to prove their benefit to the local community to maintain their charitable status; worth £100 million in tax breaks.
"Private schools need to do more to earn their charitable status," Mr Johnson told the Telegraph.
"It's not enough just to lend their playing fields, it's about the science lab, it's about teachers - there are excellent maths teachers in private schools.
"Let them give a bit of their expertise to the state sector."
While the education secretary also wants private schools to offer more bursaries to poor families, the Tories are proposing that the best private schools run non-selective state-funded city academies.
"Schools like Eton could be doing more, I want them to link in with the state schools in their area, my kids went to school in Slough that's just up the road, there should be more links," Mr Johnson continued.
"It's very important, it's beneficial I believe for private schools and it's beneficial for education in that area."
Last week a bitter internal row threatened to break out between Tory leader David Cameron and some MPs over his decision to drop the party's long-held support for grammar schools.