Business leaders welcome proposed education reform

But IoD wants a safety net for standards

24 October 2005

The Institute of Directors (IoD) today broadly welcomed the Government's education reform agenda, set out by the Prime Minister and due to be detailed in an Education White Paper tomorrow.

The IoD represents business leaders across the UK. Surveys regularly show that they regard an improvement in education and skills as one of the most important issues facing the Government.

The IoD particularly welcomed the proposals for greater diversity in education and the ability for schools to employ their own teachers and own their assets.

"As anyone who's run a business knows, it is best to leave good managers to manage, rather than imposing unnecessary and costly central controls. The same must be true of education. Schools freed up from the control of LEAs could become better schools," said Miles Templeman, Director General of the IoD.

"However, that assumes that there are the good teachers available to make the most of these new freedoms. That may not always be the case. So there does need to continue to be a safety net in place. There will remain a need for a National Curriculum, even if there is some greater flexibility to account for local needs; and the need for regular inspections by Ofsted to monitor performance remains essential," Mr Templeman added.