Michael Gove moots expansion of state boarding school provision for the most vulnerable children

Michael Gove is making a speech tonight to Barnardo's in which he variously describes the current distribution of educational opportunity in Britain as a "scandal" and "indefensibly unequal", adding that "tackling it head on is a central mission for the Conservative Party." He then sets out a variety of policies which a Conservative Government would implement to "transform our country's education system".

Most of what he said is not new - such as the proposal to take schools out of local authority hands and allow organisations with a record in educational success to take them over, introducing home-school behavioural contracts and making the recruitment and rewarding of teachers more flexible.

But one passage stands out as containing a new proposal with regard to children in care:

"I believe there is considerably further we can go in expanding state provision of boarding school places. The Government has a pathfinder scheme to provide residential school places for children in need but so far only 17 children have been placed.

"There are many, many, more looked after children who could benefit from the expansion of residential education and I believe that this uniquely deserving group should be also be able to take advantage of the improvements pioneered by academy schools.

"That is why I want to explore setting up new, state-funded and supported, residential academies to allow academy providers and other organisations with a background in education and child welfare to open schools with a residential facility so that children in the greatest need can secure a placement which offers them the very highest standards of education and care.

"Working with local authorities, the money which follows looked after children through the care system could be channelled, alongside our pupil premium, to provide new provision for those we have failed in the past."

Jonathan Isaby

Comments

[Jack Stone]

Our priority should be to find these children loving family`s not send them off to boarding school.Children benefit most by being part of a family not by being shoved into an institution.
Its just another example of the Tory party weeded to upper class outdated ways.

[Patsy Sergeant]

Jack Stone - I spend my summer 'weeding', but I wouldn't say that I am WEDDED to it!

I am afraid you sound like a romantic idealist in your comment.

I would say that this could be a very positively productive idea, however, as throughout the education sector, there would need to be very well trained, properly dedicated teachers at the heart of each school.

Actually, I would go so far as to say that one of the areas in need of major improvement, is the training of teachers (for state schools), and the training of nurses (putting the ward, before self-indulgence at the University!), and the training of Social Workers - which I personally think needs a total overhaul!

And to finish there needs to be a complete re-think on 'targets', form-filling, and all but basic statistics'!!

[RichardJ]

Jack your trolling is not funny and has never been funny. You just do it to provoke people either for kicks or for some political agenda. Perhaps you hope you'll be quoted in the press or someone reacting badly to your silliness will be. In any event it hasn't happened and isn't going to happen.

[Malcolm Dunn]

Not a bad idea but I can't believe it will be a priority in the current economic climate. It will be simply too expensive.

[Sally Roberts]

"weeded to upper class outdated ways"

Jack, you've obviously visited my garden when I wasn't looking! It's a tad upper class, pretty outdated and undoubtedly needs weeding!!!

[Jack Stone]

This was an idea recently proposed by the British National Party in Barking. I say no more!!!

[Patsy Sergeant]

Would that be Barking M.A D.?

[Charlie Elphicke]

It's quite right that these kids should have loving families. So a shame the care system tilts against family members looking after kids in care. And a shame adoptions are falling in the UK.

A shame too so many care kids are ripped out of their home communities and all that they know to be dumped in East Kent where I am a Parliamentary candidate. Everyone is worried sick about the lack of hope and lack of life chances these vulnerable children get.

And a shame 9 out of 10 foster placements collapse after two years. It is this fact and the massive instability of kids being shunted up and down the land with broken friendships and broken schooling that points the way to why Michael is dead right. If we as a society love these children and want the best for them, such boarding schools could be a beacon of stability in an otherwise dark World. Surprisingly it would probably cost less as well.

[Stewart Geddes]

For some of us, boarding school was a necessary part of life and not a luxury.

Far better to put children who are in care into a boarding school where they can get a good education and a supportive environment than to leave them to rot in the status quo.

[NorthernMonkey]

Boarding school???

That's the absolute last thing these children need. They need to be with their families where they can get loving support, not sent away for months on end at some isolationist, cold, austere establishment.

That daft Thunderbirds puppet doesn't have a clue.

[John Moss]

Malcolm,

It costs over £30,000 a year to keep a child in care. Thier education outcomes are generally appalling, leading to a life on welfare £5k per annum, or in crime, £50k per annum.

I'd happily spend £20-£30k a year sending kids in care to boarding schools to get them a better education and a real chance of success in life, but I agree with Jack Stone's comment that a loving, caring family environment is also important. Sadly, too many of our children in care are way beyond that and "boarding school" is probably one better than the young offenders institute they are destined for.

[2020]

I was absolutely delighted to read this article. Boarding places at public schools for all vulnerable children and young people are wonderful opportunities to make the most of a full education with extra-curricular activities complemented with unmatched pastoral care: more importantly, excellent role models for behaviour, aspiration and success. Not least, networks of all kinds to enable them to reach heights otherwise not available to them. May I suggest, it is essential these children are NOT put in a residential academy of peers: our public school system is the answer, where there is a full spectrum of nationalities, faiths and talent but not quite yet, demographic representation. Let's share the scholarships, bursaries, exhibitions, donations, legacies and grants to our wonderful public schools with, say LACS too!

[RichardJ]

"They need to be with their families where they can get loving support, not sent away for months on end at some isolationist, cold, austere establishment."

Shockingly enough a lot of children actually enjoy boarding school.

[TomTom]

This was an idea recently proposed by the British National Party in Barking. I say no more!!!

Posted by: Jack Stone | March 09, 2009 at 21:35

Stop campaigning for them Jack

[Jack Stone]

Patsy. You know Barking. Where that party the BNP which many on this site sympathise with are the official opposition to the labour council,
Tom Tom so you think its a good idea that our most vunerable children are put into institutions. Suppose you are also in favour of a return to making them clean chimneys!!!

[RichardJ]

"Suppose you are also in favour of a return to making them clean chimneys!!!"

It's good exercise.

[Clive Elliot]

There is just such a state boarding school near here in Reigate, it does very well and is particularly noted for sport. There are day places there too, and these are heavily oversubscribed.

[Stewart Geddes]

Northern Monkey

"sent away for months on end at some isolationist, cold, austere establishment".

You clearly have never been to boarding school and have no idea of what you are talking about.

This is an option that must be considered, but it can only work where the attendance at school is fully funded by the state so that the children can benefit from all that the schools have to offer.

The cost of this is nothing like the cost of the status quo and long term will offer fantastic opportunities to those taking part.

[James]

"They need to be with their families where they can get loving support, not sent away for months on end at some isolationist, cold, austere establishment" (Northernmonkey@2255)

Firstly, they do not have loving and supportive families - that is the point.

And secondly, you clearly do not have the slightest clue what you are talking about regarding boarding schools. You have obviously not set foot inside a modern British boarding school.

The vast majority (probably all, but I couldn't say that for certain and I don't believe in making uninformed guesses like you) are very far from being 'isolationist, cold and austere...'

They are living and supportive communities, where the pupils not only learn to live alongside their friends and colleagues in a very positive way, but they have access to after school activities, sports and facilities. There is evidence that boarders do better at their academic studies (partly due to structured and supervised homework times).

This is an idea with a lot of merit, and Gove deserves credit for being a genuinely innovative educational thinker in a field where for too long the children have suffered due to the blinkered view of the left-wing educational establishment.

[James]

"Tom Tom so you think its a good idea that our most vunerable children are put into institutions." (Northernmonkey agai)

Institutions??

We're talking about SCHOOLS for God's sake man!

What will your wierd attacks turn on next? Hospitals?

'so you think it's a good idea to send sick people away to institutions??'

Jeez!

[Therese Coffey]

Good idea Michael; of course, he has an example in his own constituency of a popular state boarding-school called Gordon's (love the irony!)
www.gordons.surrey.sch.uk
It charges fees for boarding but I think that would be cheap compared to costs normally incurred.

[Geordie-Tory]

I am quite amazed that Super-Troller 'Jack's Stoned' can type any comments, what with his head be stuck so firmly up his socialist a*@e!

Clearly the Labour Party have given up any hope of setting out positive policies or vision for Britain (as they simply do not have any) and simply rely on nerdy apparatchils like Jack StoneD to denigrate sincere, earnest and decent Conservatve attempts to repair the benighted, damaged society that will be one of Labour's lasting legacies (along with a 5 generation debt burden of couse!!!!).

Jack Stone, I will debate with any leftie, since my compasssion and committment as a Conservative to make our society a better place is not in doubt, if you are going to comment though, at least try to acquaint yourself with the issues / or make some intelligent comments rather than merely chaep jibes, you simply denigrate your own marcist cause in so doing.

[Geordie-Tory]

Sorry I should read my own comments before posting, as I was typing in a fury, my spelling and grammar on that post were atrocious....and on a thread about Edukashon (Sic) too, shame on me!

[Super Blue]

I know someone with two very autistic children who are now attending specialist boarding schools - state, I think - and it having a positive effect on them.

Draper's mouthpiece said "Children benefit most by being part of a family not by being shoved into an institution." - perhaps HE should be in an institution!

[The Bad Plus]

And how exactly is the Conservative Party any different to Labour?

You are exactly the same bunch of Neo-Liberal illiterates as Brown and Blair.

I only wish people would actually read the headlines in the Sun and Mail rather than just accepting that they'll agree before they reach the end of the first sentence.

Vapid, fatuous and no alternative whatsoever to Labour. Charlatans, the lot of you.

[Allan McKinley]

The Bad Plus,
"I only wish people would actually read the headlines in the Sun and Mail rather than just accepting that they'll agree before they reach the end of the first sentence."

Eh? Sun and Mail headlines are never even a sentence long. So what are you on about? How is this a neo-liberal idea - it is either statist or liberal and localising (depending on how you run it). Nothing neo-liberal about it.

[Super Blue]

Draper realises that we have all seen through "jackstone" so he introduces "The Bad Plus"!

[James Maskell]

Well, Gove finally spoke in a speech on children in caremaking a significant statement and for that I thank him. The readers of CH can now rest happy that I wont be moaning about that anymore.

As for the policy, I am lukewarm about it and will have to read the report at
http://publications.dcsf.gov.uk/eOrderingDownload/DCSF-RR070.pdf before I can really say whether I would be in favour.

[richel]

I agree with James Maskells' comment and for me Mr. Michael Gove has really good plans for these children for focusing on education.I hope this will be implemented.

[bitc]

I went to boarding school. It destroyed all my self-esteem being the poor bursary kid among the rich. The only way to feel equal to them was to beat them academically. I may have got good grades, but I have felt inferior all my life as a result of the experience. Never got over it. Now living on benefits. One education system for all is what this class-ridden country needs. No hierarchy. And as for boarding. Kids need love, not a loveless, parentless, authoritarian, institutionalising residence. A 'good education' does not teach people to love themselves, only love can do that. When you are loved, you love yourself and believe in yourself. That is the key to success in life, not good grades.

[Dan]

"Suppose you are also in favour of a return to making them clean chimneys!!!"

It's good exercise.

Posted by: RichardJ | March 10, 2009 at 10:32

How funny!