from the Guardian, 3rd January 2010.
Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, Ed Balls has written in the Guardian newspaper of his willingness to participate in open debate on education ahead of the 2010 election, his doubts about Conservative plans to roll-out Swedish-style ‘free’ schools and Labour’s focus for UK schools. The two main parties’ conflicting educational policies and the likely repercussions for UK independent school businesses were explored in depth in the trending sections of mtmconsulting’s Independent Education Sector Report 2010.
Mr Balls’ column in the paper starts by arguing that it is important for the election to be a true choice for voters and not merely “a referendum on the Government”. He says how he hopes to see the cabinet and shadow cabinet debating in the same way as party leaders are planning to, and with “the people who will be affected directly by the election choice” - teachers, governors, parents and pupils – asking the key questions in these debates.
Balls goes on to slam the Conservatives’ plans to introduce a Swedish model into the UK education sector. These plans would allow parents to establish their own independent schools offering ‘free’ tuition to children using taxpayer funding that would otherwise be absorbed into the state system. Mr Balls asks “but what about the vast majority of working parents who want a good local school for their children but do not have the time, energy or know-how to set up their own school?”
Later, Balls suggests that “Tory education policy is an elaborate con-trick on millions of parents and pupils… they want to take resources from the many to fund the few.”
The column also asserts Mr Balls’ belief that Labour’s education policy remains committed to “improving standards and expanding opportunity in every school, not just a handful in each area.”
Balls’ views of the viability of free schools is markedly opposed to those of Michael Gove printed last autumn, where he argued that the introduction of the Swedish model in education was aimed as much at the ”no-nonsense working class” as anyone. The conflicting views are likely to lead to lively debate and PR work from both parties.
mtmconsulting’s recently launched Independent Education Sector Report 2010 explored political trends and the likely impact on the independent education sector in the UK for the forthcoming decade. The most striking point in the report was that, whichever party is in power up to 2020, the fact is that “more good state schools would hit the independent sector hard”. Using evidence seen in areas with grammar schools as a proxy, the report suggested that ”on average, state selective schools have reduced independent school rolls by about one-third (34%), compared to what they might otherwise have been”. mtm’s report goes on to say that “if we assume that selective schools are a reasonable proxy for what better state schools might ultimately achieve, then good state schools will have a significant negative impact on independent schools”.
Of course, if independent schools’ marketing is sufficiently effective, the negative effects of political may be mitigated to some degree. Whether Conservatives win the election or Labour remains in power, mtm predicts significant cuts in the education budget will ”start to be felt in the second half of 2010, with a significant rise in pupils entering the independent sector in September 2011″. Independent schools should use this as a clear opportunity, in line with effective cost management, to soundly communicate their key benefits to a growing target market.
To read the Secretary of State for Children, Schools, and Families, Ed Balls’ article on the Guardian website please click here.
For more information on the mtmconsulting Independent Education Sector Report 2010, or to discuss our management consulting services for schools and school strategy services, please contact mtm: strategy for education.
