Tristram Hunt MP Labour’s Shadow Education Secretary, responding to the leaked report by Peter Clarke, said:

“There is a dangerous lack of oversight in David Cameron’s schools system and the results of this are being played out in Birmingham. Peter Clarke is right to describe the Government’s approach as one of ‘benign neglect’ - ministers failed to act on warnings they were given in 2010.

“Standards are being damaged and schools exposed to risk because of an ideological refusal to give local areas new powers to oversee schools.

“Labour has proposed new local Directors of School Standards to support and challenge schools to improve and to root out problems before they set in.”