30 November 2006
Personalised learning is the key to modern education, Tony Blair has said, meaning a distinctive approach from school to school and child to child.
He wants to place a greater emphasis on specialist vocational diplomas for young people, an expansion of the International Baccalaureate scheme and more skills academies.
Mr Blair also re-iterated his desire to open up to 400 of the popular City Academies and increase the number of Trust schools.
The PM was addressing a specialist schools conference in Birmingham. He praised their work, telling them that "good teaching changes lives".
Reflecting on progress in schools in the decade since his "education, education, education" speech, Mr Blair said there had been remarkable improvements.
More children can read and write properly, or do simple maths, when leaving primary school - and classrooms had been transformed with 21st century technology such as interactive whiteboards.
There is still much to do, he concluded, but his vision for state schools is clear:
"A state sector that has independent, non-fee paying schools which remain utterly true to the principle of educating all children, whatever their background or ability, to the highest possible level, but with the freedom to innovate and develop in the way they want."
The PM added:
"Education is the most precious gift a society can bestow on its children. When I said the top three priorities of the Government in 1997 would be education, education, education I knew then that changing educational opportunity was the surest way to changing lives, to social justice."
Background to the PM’s speech
The PM’s Strategy Unit have compiled a detailed presentation which spells out the progress made in school standards in the last ten years, and takes a look to the future.
The PDF presentation also includes case studies of modern schools delivering exceptional results.
- Download the PDF presentation (opens in new window)
- More from the Strategy Unit (opens in new window)
We have written a feature which looks back at the progress in our schools since Tony Blair’s "education, education, education" speech a decade ago.
30 years ago, former PM James Callaghan argued for society’s right to have a say in what was taught in schools - through establishing a "core curriculum of basic knowledge".
The so-called "Ruskin speech" kick-started modern debate on education.
You now have the chance to question education minister Andrew Adonis about any aspect of school policy.
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