Education Secretary Unveils Children's Plan

It's lovely to see the Youth Ambassadors here, many of whom I met at the Festival of Childhood earlier this year.

It is such a privilege to be here with you all, in these beautiful surroundings at the Institution of Civil Engineers.

It's come a long way since a group of young engineers met in a London coffee shop in 1818.

Testament to what a talented group of young people can achieve when they put their minds to it!

Rachel - let me start by thanking you and all your staff.

For this hugely valuable report, and for all you're doing for the children of this country.

Building a society that puts children first is a defining challenge for us all.

And at the centre of our work as government, is one question:

What does it mean to grow up in Britain today?

And the answer tells us everything.

It determines whether the future is something we face alone,

Or shape together.

Whether we continue as before, with opportunity open to some, but not all.

Or whether we break the link between background and success, once and for all.

The journey to that new Britain begins in childhood.

And it plays out not in households but in families.

That's where the roots of success lie.

No child excluded from the joys of childhood, no parent excluded from the pleasures of parenthood.

That starts with removing the stain of child poverty from our society.

Because there is no bigger thief of childhood than poverty.

No force more exclusionary for our children.

That's why the Prime Minister launched the Child Poverty Taskforce.

And we'll publish our Child Poverty Strategy later this year.

We'll tackle causes, not just symptoms,

We'll confront, head on, the reasons why still, a quarter of the way through the 21st century, 4.5 million of our children live in poverty.

Every child deserves a childhood free of poverty and full of love, and that means support for families, from day one.

Putting money back in parents' pockets.

30 hours a week of free childcare for working parents, from the end of parental leave to the start of school.

Free breakfast clubs rolling out across the country.

And the biggest expansion in free school meals eligibility in a generation.

Lifting 100,000 children out of poverty.

Money saved on childcare, on free breakfast clubs, on uniform.

Together, up to £8,000 saved for working parents, every year.

Change that's not just talked about by politicians but felt by families.

It's change that means yes to a trip to the seaside,

Yes, to a visit to a museum.

Yes, to an ice-cream in the park.

For children it means a happy childhood - the foundation of future success.

Putting children first. Now and always.

But it has to be for every child. Every family deserves the right support. From conception onwards.

So I'm deeply proud that this government is introducing a new Best Start Family Service, delivered through Best Start Family Hubs.

Open to all, rooted in disadvantaged communities.

Bringing together the advice and support parents need - all in one place.

And school-based nurseries, rolling out across the country, strengthening the transition into school.

This is at the heart of the country we are building.

At the centre of our work to cut the link between background and success.

Meeting the needs of babies, children and families.

Acting in their interest.

And through our Plan for Change we'll make sure a record proportion of children start school ready to learn.

At its best our education system is a transformative force for change.

And one of the great privileges of my job as Education Secretary is seeing the stories of success.

Like when I went to Trafford College last month for results day. I spent a wonderful morning meeting young people and celebrating their achievements.

Like Maedeh, who moved to this country from Iran only a few years ago, for whom English is a second language.

But through hard work and the help of the college, she passed her A-levels and is going on to study at Imperial College London.

I met Liam too, who had passed his level 3 Pastry Chef course.

He was so excited to tell me he'd secured a role as Chef de Partie at the Lowry hotel.

I see the same when I visit schools across the country.

The dedication of the staff.

The passion of the leaders.

The success of the children.

And we should celebrate those stories.

But they should never blind us to the challenges.

And there are deep challenges. As this valuable report launched here today shows.

I want to thank you, Rachel, and your team for putting together this evidence.

And I want to thank everyone who took the time to respond.

The challenges you outline are ones I recognise. And they are ones I am acting, in partnership with the sector, to tackle.

Because while schools work for some children, they don't work for all.

There are still some groups excluded from success. One is white working-class children.

And one of the defining statistics not just of our schools but of our society is that just one in five white working-class children achieves a strong pass in their English and maths GCSEs.

That four in every five of these children walk away from school without the essential ingredients for success is a national scandal.

A call to action if ever there was one.

Because left to fester, make no mistake, this will rip apart the fabric of our society.

Schools can't do it all. And we've been asking them to do too much for too long. To pick up the pieces from other failings.

Which is why it's so important that we give families the right support.

Why it's so important that all children arrive at the school gates ready to learn.

But I am determined to drive high and rising standards across every school in the country,

To put children first.

That's why attainment will be a key focus for Ofsted.

It means challenging schools. But also supporting them to meet the needs of all children.

And I mean all children, not just those who fit into a narrow shade of normal.

Support is already rolling out.

More than 200 schools which most need support are already getting it.

Our new regional improvement - or RISE - teams are working with these schools, drawing on the best of the best within the sector.

And soon I'll announce how we'll expand that offer. To go further and faster.

At the same time, Ofsted will publish their final proposals on the new school report cards.

And we'll share our plans to make sure those reports mean not just more information for parents, but higher standards for children.

I'm proud that inclusion is now a central focus of our RISE teams. And it will be a standalone inspection area for the first time in the new report cards.

I will hold schools to account directly on inclusion in their classrooms.

We need accountability that works for everyone - parents, teachers, leaders.

But, first and foremost, accountability must deliver for children.

And where children are being let-down, we will never flinch from intervening if the school doesn't have the capacity to improve.

Strong accountability is here to stay.

But clearer too. More precise. To pinpoint where and how schools can improve.

I will always stand firm for the children of this county.

All children. Not just some.

High standards for every child.

High expectations for every child.

But Rachel, your report is right to highlight children with special educational needs and disabilities.

Because the simple truth is that the system just isn't delivering for them as it should.

Children with SEND are three times more likely to be excluded.

Only one in five meet the expected standard in maths and English.

There are more statistics. But it's no longer something that needs to be proven.

All those connected to education know it.

The country knows it.

And we've known it for a long time.

Parents have been battling a broken system for a long time.

Children have been let down for a long time.

But I am determined to turn it around.

Under my leadership, inclusion will be a key marker of strength - in early years, schools and further education too.

And to get this right, I'm listening.

I'm drawing on the views of experts, the voices of parents, the experiences of children.

So that no child is excluded from achieving what I know every child can.

That means fantastic special schools for children with the most complex needs.

But it also means as many children as possible having their needs met alongside their friends in mainstream schools.

And I know that's a key finding from this report here today. Children want to go to a local school with their friends.

Getting this right is difficult.

It's complex and it's entrenched and it's high stakes.

But the young people here today show that hard work and determination can work wonders.

We can turn this around. I know because I see the determination of parents.

I see the passion of teachers.

And I see some schools already leading the change.

Just last week I visited All Saints Catholic Primary School, just to the south of Wigan.

And I saw our Partnerships for Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools programme in action.

Bringing together the right support in the right place at the right time.

I spoke to parents of children with SEND, they told me about the strong relationship between the school and families.

And how that helps the school to understand their child's needs.

The mams and dads told me how much it means to them to see their children thriving.

I want that for every parent.

So we're investing £740m in our schools

to deliver adaptations,

to expand specialist units in mainstream,

and to create new places in special schools.

But I know how much teacher training matters too.

So we're boosting SEND content, beginning with initial teacher training and continuing throughout career progression.

Expert teachers for all our children.

I know there is much more to do.

Together, we're on a long journey of reform, and we have far to go.

Our schools white paper will chart the path forward.

Towards a system that delivers excellence for every child,

And matches the aspirations of every parent.

Children born today can hope to live into the next century.

So our work as government, as teachers, as carers, as leaders, as parents, and as professionals,

This is the work that will shape the future of our country.

And together with you, I want to build a Britain in which every child has a happy childhood,

in which every child finds success at school.

A country where background is no barrier.

A Britain that belongs to us all.

Thank you.