GovWire

Good morning, everyone. Its a real privilege to be here. Thank you to the whole CST team for bringing us together today.

And thank you, Leora, for inviting me to speak this morning, and thank you for your outstanding leadership in the sector.

Your passion for social justice really is an inspiration for us all.

And your dedication to the children of this country is clear in all you do especially when you are pushing us to be better, always asking us the tough questions.

So I hope we continue to work together in the weeks, months and years ahead.

And thank you to all of you here today in this room. Thank you for all your incredible work, day in, day out, to improve the life chances of young people across this country.

Its been a long journey for me to get here today.

The journey of a shy girl, who grew up on a council street in the north east of England, in a family that wasnt a traditional size or shape, who walked every morning to the state school up the road.

I want to talk about how that little girl now stands here in front of you as the Secretary of State for Education.

My family, the schools I went to, the teachers who taught me, they worked tirelessly to give me every opportunity to succeed.

To achieve in the classroom and thrive throughout my childhood.

Thats my story achieving and thriving.

We all understand how important it is to see our children achieve at school.

But I know deep down that I was only able to achieve at my school, to go on to university, to join this new government as Secretary of State

• because I was happy and healthy in school

• because I felt I belonged

• because I was given every opportunity to thrive.

Many of my friends on my street werent so lucky.

They didnt get those same opportunities.

But life shouldnt come down to luck.

So this new government is on a mission to spread opportunity far and wide, to give every single child the very best life chances.

This is a new era of child-centred government.

But today our country is far from where it should be, from where Im sure it can be again.

Too many children are held back by their background.

And still, 24 years into the 21st century, 4.3 million children are living in poverty in this country.

A stain on our society, a disgrace that holds our children back.

So our work on education, on opportunity, starts with our work on poverty.

Thats why Im proud to be leading the governments Child Poverty Taskforce, with my co-chair the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions.

The work of fixing the foundations in this country has begun and last weeks Budget continues that.

The Chancellor set out plans to fix the foundations, not just of our economy, but of our education system too.

You wont have missed the tough fiscal situation we face. Incredibly difficult decisions are being made everyday.

But education priorities have been protected including through the 2.3bn increase to the core schools budget next year.

A Budget that sets us on the path to delivering the best life chances for every child.

A Budget that puts education back at the forefront of national life.

The Chancellor has done her bit, now we must do ours.

That means high and rising standards in all schools and trusts.

Not just for some of our children, not just in some cities, some schools, some trusts, some pockets of excellence here and there.

No, never again, not under this government. This country deserves better. Parents deserve better. Children deserve better.

High and rising standards in every school, in every trust.

Thats the route to better life chances for all our children. To a growing economy, a stronger society.

This government will never be soft on standards.

I will never compromise on achievement or aspiration for our children.

Because we all know who misses out when standards slip its working class children.

So were driving high and rising standards for all our children.

The curriculum and assessment review is now in full swing, with roadshows up and down the country.

Itll deliver a curriculum that is rich in knowledge, strong on skills and led by the evidence.

Were reforming accountability, ending single headline Ofsted grades in schools, moving to an approach that drives up standards for children, with greater transparency for parents and more support for schools.

And our new Regional Improvement for Standards and Excellence teams will work with schools and trusts to spread excellence across the system.

But you all know the factor that makes the biggest difference to our childrens life chances in the classroom.

Its great teachers.

Thats why in our manifesto we committed to recruit an additional 6,500 new expert teachers across our schools, both mainstream and specialist, and our colleges over the course of this parliament.

All this will help every child achieve great things.

But achieving is just one part of it. I want children to do well and be happy in school too. I want all children to achieve and thrive.

Every child should go to a school where they are free to be themselves, free to make friends, free to explore their talents.

A happy, healthy child who knows, that deep down inside, they belong.

There is such value in that:

• not just because its good for exam results, although it is

• not just because it helps children achieve, although it does

• not just because it can drive up standards, although it will

Youll hear lots of talk about reform of systems, reform of policies.

But the scale of the challenge ahead of us demands something deeper it demands a profound reform in what we value in our schools.

So that up there alongside attainment is the wellbeing of our children.

Because exam results are only achieved when childrens wellbeing is prized too.

Because thats what parents tell us they care about the academic success of their children, and their happiness too.

But as a country we know were failing. The most recent data shows 1 in 3 fifteen-year-olds dont feel they belong in school.

Thats worse than the average across our OECD neighbours.

And its worse than it was in our country 12 years ago.

Weve gone backwards, and weve fallen behind, and weve got to put this right.

Thats why thriving and belonging will feature so prominently in our work in the opportunity mission, hand in hand with attainment.

But this is not a manifesto for happy ignorance.

Nor is it a plan for miserable achievement.

Achieving and thriving the two pillars of our plans for pupils are not in opposition.

They work in tandem, one strengthening the other.

Healthy, happy children coming to school ready to learn if we get this right, those children will achieve time and again.

The best schools understand this. They also understand that its not easy, its not soft.

But its the right approach.

And it shows the value of great teachers.

The most important driver of attainment, and essential for building belonging too.

I had amazing teachers.

[Political content removed]

Ms Haq helped me do my best in the classroom.

She pushed me to achieve, she also helped me to thrive.

Giving up her time after the working day to coach the girls rugby team, or simple words of encouragement in the school classrooms.

She made sure my classmates and I knew we belonged in that school.

But how can children today feel that sense of belonging if their teachers keep leaving?

To achieve and thrive, children need stability, not churn.

And weve got to keep our amazing teachers in the classroom. I know that.

So we will end the sorry story of so many teachers leaving the classroom fed up and worn out.

Turning the tide, not just plugging the leaks.

Because the best recruitment strategy is a strong retention strategy.

We must make teaching a career that sparks pride, not resentment. Fulfilment, not burnout.

It once was, it can be again.

And it should be a career that women in their 30s dont feel forced to leave.

Because, lets be honest, they make up a huge share of the teachers leaving the classroom.

We need a change of approach.

So were supporting teachers to improve their workload and wellbeing.

To undertake planning and preparation remotely.

And our work to tackle child poverty will reduce the burden on teachers.

No longer swamped by failures elsewhere, teachers free to do what they do best, teach.

Their excellent work fairly recognised and compensated with the 5.5% pay award.

And big financial incentives for teachers in key subjects to stay in the classroom backed up by massive investment in the next recruitment cycle.

This is a government that knows the value teachers bring to our country.

• You are partners, not enemies.

• Respected professionals, not political punching bags.

• Essential to bu

  

  View the original news story