Tristram Hunt MP, Labour’s Shadow Education Secretary, responding to Michael Gove’s statement in the House of Commons, said:

“The Prime Minister should be demonstrating leadership and taking action to reassure parents in Birmingham, but instead we have yet another review. He is playing politics with our children’s education.

“David Cameron’s weak response to these shocking reports into Birmingham schools is entirely inadequate - and this comes four years after Michael Gove’s department was warned about the failings in Birmingham but refused to take action.

“The reports into Birmingham highlight the complete lack of local oversight in our school system, resulting from this government’s attempt to run all schools from Whitehall. By ruling out the introduction of a system of local oversight to ensure robust and constant checks and balances on our schools, David Cameron is leaving pupils exposed to falling standards and inadequate safeguarding.

“Labour has committed to delivering new local Directors of School Standards to have responsibility for spotting and rooting out problems before they set in and responding early to the concerns of parents and teachers.

“After weeks of silence from the Education Secretary, he has today refused to answer key questions: why did he fail to act on the warnings given to his department in 2010; why did his department sign off on the expansion of the Park View Academy Trust despite reports that it rejected a free school application from the Trust on ‘security’ grounds earlier that same year, and why he is refusing to address the lack of local oversight of our schools.”

Ends

Editor’s Notes:

The BBC has reported that the DfE signed off on the expansion of the Park View Academy Trust after it had a free school application rejected on ‘security’ grounds: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-2774333

Tristram Hunt wrote to Michael Gove on May 29th 2014, asking for his explanation as to why he failed to act othe warnings of Birmingham head Tim Boyes: http://press.labour.org.uk/post/87195549459/tristram-hunt-letter-to-michael-gove-on-queensbridge

On April 30th 2014, Labour announced plans for local Directors of School Standards:
http://labourlist.org/2014/04/england-expects-a-strategy-for-improving-all-its-schools/