THREAT OF SCHOOL CLOSURES

That this House regrets the Government's crude and destabilising threat to close 638 English secondary schools which have failed to hit an examination target imposed retrospectively; notes that the 638 schools include a large number of academies and other rapidly improving schools; draws attention to the strong link between school results and school catchment which means that 55 per cent. of schools in the poorest areas fail to hit the target while only two per cent. miss the target in the most affluent catchments; expresses concern that the publicity achieved by the Government may make it more difficult to attract good staff and leadership to these schools, as well as deterring potential parents; and calls for a more sophisticated approach to assessing school performance and securing a much needed improvement in standards.