Ruth Kelly has promised to put parents at the heart of the education system.

The new education secretary used her first speech in the role to promise an acceleration of "choice" in the state school system.

But speaking to the North of England Education conference in Manchester on Thursday she also stressed that parents will have increasing responsibilities as well as rights.

In what will be seen as a very New Labour address, Kelly put herself firmly on the modernising wing of the education debate.

She said the drive to improve standards must be accompanied and pushed by better standards of behaviour, more pupil-centred teaching, particularly in the vocational sector and of gifted and talented students, and the extension of more specialist and city academy schools.

But it was the role of parents that will draw the most attention, with Kelly referring directly to her own experience as a mother of four.

She pointed to evidence that parental involvement with their children's education was a bigger single factor in academic success than others such as social background.

Absence

And she added that parents must take the lead role in ensuring pupils are not absent from school and are well behaved.

"Parents have a right to send their children to orderly schools but with that goes the responsibility to ensure that their child attends school and behaves well as well as the responsibility to support the school's approach to discipline," the Cabinet minister said.

Kelly called on schools and local authorities to become "parental champions - providing the education that parents want and need for their children; pioneering the radical change that this demands; and not being held back by past practices and outdated assumptions, either nationally or locally".

"The prize is a real one," she argued. "A system that is not only universally excellent, but universally responsive to its users too.

"Where parents and the community know they have a voice and that their voice will be heard. That there is a dialogue between empowered parents and locally, self-managed institutions empowered to respond to pupils and parents.

"And both individuals and institutions supported but not directed by central and local government – government that is on their side and genuinely listening and responding to what they have to say.

"Government that is spreading opportunity and removing the barriers that hold people back. Individuals that understand they have rights and with them responsibilities."

Attack

However shadow education secretary Tim Collins said ministers are unclear on how choice for parents will be achieved.

"This speech illustrates the dangers of Labour's half-hearted and inconsistent talk about using choice to improve education," he claimed.

"Ruth Kelly speaks movingly of an outcome with only the sketchiest idea of how it is to be achieved.

"It is hardly surprising then that after nearly eight years in power, ministers continue to preside over falling exam standards, declining teacher morale and worsening classroom discipline.

"By contrast, the next Conservative government will legislate to ensure more good school places - from private, public and voluntary sources - become available to transform educational opportunity for all."

And Liberal Democrat spokesman Phil Willis said the concept was "meaningless".

"Parents, pupils and teachers will be interested to see that despite having a new education secretary the message remains the same," he said.

"The illusion of parental choice is still used to mask consistent government failure.

"All children deserve good quality local schools. That means small class sizes, teachers qualified in the subject being taught and modern facilities.

"Ruth Kelly should be concentrating on achieving these basics of quality education instead of distracting parents with meaningless buzzwords."