Oral question asked in the House of Commons, by David Evennett (Conservative). It was answered on Thursday, 24 November 2005 on behalf of the Department for Education and Skills.

Setting/Streaming

Question: : I note the Minister's reply, but for the past eight years the Government have allowed political dogma to dominate their education policies, not the best interests of children. We welcome some aspects of the recent White Paper and hope to see the return of setting and streaming across the majority of schools. What assurances can the Minister give that setting and streaming will become the norm in all schools to allow children to develop their full potential and achieve excellence at their own pace and according to their own aptitude?

Answer: I think that the hon. Gentleman has let political dogma get in the way of, first, listening to my answer and, secondly, understanding what the Government have put in place. In 1997 we made it clear in the first schools White Paper that, unless a school can demonstrate that it is getting better than expected results through a different approach, we would presume that setting should be the norm in secondary schools. We backed that up with support for our national strategies through guidance to teachers—the sort of guidance and support that, in the 11 years I spent as a teacher, I never received from the previous Government.

Secondary information