Hinds expected to announce single performance target

Education Secretary Damian Hinds will announce plans for a single measure to trigger support for schools that require intervention, rather than having the “confusing” system of having both floor and coasting standards to measure school performance.

In an address to school leaders at the National Association of Head Teachers’ (NAHT) annual conference in Liverpool, Hinds will set out plans for a clearer system of accountability by making it clear that “the only people who should go to schools for inspections are Ofsted”.

Hinds announced a consultation to replace the “confusing” system that measures school performance, with a single measure to trigger support for schools. This will be backed by a statement on when schools convert to academy status to drive improvement.

The Education Secretary is expected to say:

"I’m clear that Ofsted is the body that can provide an independent, rounded judgement of a school’s performance. This means we will not be forcibly turning schools into academies unless Ofsted has judged it to be Inadequate.

"I believe strongly that becoming an academy can bring enormous benefits to schools. Hundreds of schools every year voluntarily choose to become academies and I want this to be a positive choice for more and more schools as we move forward.

"We must also have a system that does more than just deal with failure… But we will do so in the right way, and there will be a single, transparent data trigger for schools to be offered support – which we will consult on.

"I intend this to replace the current confusing system of having both below the floor and coasting standards for performance"

The Education Secretary will set out plans to improve early career support and development.

Working with school leaders, new training opportunities will be developed to boost career progression and support the record number of teachers in our schools to become leaders in their field, including:

Extending on-the-job training and support for trainee and new teachers to two years, so they get the best possible start to their career;

Creating early career development opportunities for teachers through a new framework that schools will follow, developed in partnership with teachers, school leaders and education experts; and

Introducing more flexible working practices that will put the profession on a par with other industries, with a £5 million fund to help experienced teachers take a sabbatical.