Downing Street Says » Education White Paper

» Friday, January 20, 2006

Education White Paper

Asked if it was a good idea for Ruth Kelly on the radio this morning to suggest that opponents of the Education White Paper, such as Lord Kinnock and Estelle Morris, simply "did not know what they were talking about", the PMOS replied that that was not what Ruth Kelly had said.

Interrupted, the journalist said Ruth Kelly had said there had been a misunderstanding, but how could it be said that people had "misunderstood" it, the PMOS replied that there were concerns about selection. The reality was that the White Paper did not change the position on selection, with one exception. Selection by ability was not allowed, and that would remain the position. The only change that the White Paper would make to the policy of selection was to strengthen the role of the adjudicator by making their guidance applicable for three years, instead of one year. Therefore, if people had concerns that in some way the White Paper changed the position of selection, that concern was misplaced.

Put that when the PMOS had said that the Education Bill would not change the means of selection, what was the point of having it in the present legislation, the PMOS replied that the selection process did not change in the White Paper. The only thing that did change was the adjudicator’s role.

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