Collins: Labour isn't working

Tim Collins has outlined Conservative plans to overhaul the education system.

In a keynote speech to the party's conference in Bournemouth, the shadow Cabinet minister has pledged that his first day at the Department for Education and Skills would be spent outlining plans to give headteachers the power to expel disruptive pupils.

In the first week of a Tory government, he will begin abolishing restrictions on the expansion of schools and the creation of new ones.

And within the first month legislation would be introduced allowing parents to choose which school their child attends, coupled with an increase of 600,000 school places.

The shadow education secretary also promised to end the closure of schools for children with special needs, and allow the use of public funds for the creation of faith schools.

"Labour have had their chance to improve our schools and it hasn’t worked," he said.

"Money is being thrown at the problem but Conservatives believe it’s being wasted. Instead we will cut teachers’ paperwork, restore discipline in schools and give parents the opportunity to choose the best school for their children.

"We will shortly publish proposals to revitalise vocational education and adult learning. We will seek consensus on exam reforms - but we will insist that new arrangements must be more, not less, robust and credible than those we have today.

"We will also focus on the most vulnerable - those with special needs. Some benefit from mainstream education, but many do not. So we must preserve diversity. I will issue an immediate order: no more closures of special schools."

Collins vowed to look at the quality of exams in the wake of concerns about grade inflation.

"I'll order immediate action to make sure that never again will the pass mark for an A grade in GCSE maths be just 45 per cent. That is unacceptable - and I will not accept it," he said.

"I’ll get rid of the university access regulator, Labour’s witchfinder-general, set up to punish universities who admit middle class students.

"Under the Conservatives, the best universities will be for the most able students, wherever they come from."

As well as attacking the government Collins also criticised Liberal Democrat plans for schooling.

Collins described the party as "entirely unfit to ever run education", and highlighted policies including the compulsory teaching of sex education to seven-year-olds and the scrapping of A Levels.