Invigorating, that’s probably the best word for Policy Exchange’s event on free schools
this morning. Right from Sir Michael Wilshaw’s opening address — which set out the reasons why he, as headteacher of Mossbourne Academy, is optimistic about education reform — to
Michael Gove’s longer, more involved speech, this was all about celebrating and promoting the new freedoms that teachers are enjoying. There were some specifics about the schools that are opening,
and the numbers of them, but very little of it was new. For the first time in a week, Gove wasn’t announcing
policy, but instead referring back to it.
Which isn’t to say that this was an ornamental occasion — far from it. Sir Michael’s “four reasons for optimism” were, by themselves, pretty noteworthy. In summary, they were: the rapid expansion of the academies programme; the creation of greater diversity in schooling to respond to parental demands; the wildfire spread of entrepreneurialism among headteachers; and the growing number of good teachers.
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