He also thanked the audience, stating that his deepest conviction is that there is no greater calling than to teach and that his role was to identify what government can do to serve teachers. He stated that he felt heads and teachers are the best people to lead schools and listed the many schools he had visited that confirmed this. He acknowledged Steve’s point in saying that some visits had involved some very courageous speeches! He stated that he wants to give heads more power and control and to celebrate gains made - “it is professionals that drive school improvement... collaboration, providing mentoring and excellent professional development”. He expressed gratitude to Steve, and to the work of Local and National Leaders of Education but confessed that he was impatient to do even better.

The Secretary of State felt that we need to develop a culture of professional development including professional qualifications, where the National College will be central. He described the driving, crusading vision at the heart of the new education policy - with the single most important ethic being to make opportunity for more equality since we know that we have very stratified system with a gap that rises throughout a less privileged child’s life. This moral failure was described as an affront to social justice. The government are committed to address disadvantage - this is at the root of their accelerate programme, since the days are long gone when we could educate a minority. He described a need to harness education capital, as without it other countries will overtake us. We can see that we are doing better than we did in the past – but need to think how we are doing compared with both the ‘rest’ and the ‘best’. We must learn from the most innovative nations. The pace of change across the globe is accelerating: 20 years ago we were 14th now we are 23rd. As the fourth largest economy, with high investment and talent, these figures are not good enough.

Michael Gove stated the intention to extend power to innovate “in your own school and across schools”. He noted that the USA has taken radical steps to improve education with more great charter schools to drive attainment and social mobility. Canada has similar autonomy, freedom, and choice for parents - Alberta is one of the best examples in world. Sweden, Finland and Singapore are also driving up standards. He described how the new academies will offer autonomy for all schools to fully control their own budget and staffing and to develop their own curriculum. To date, 1,772 have expressed interest in the offer, which includes 70% of outstanding secondary schools. He added that they will not undermine what is already happening well - in fact he wants academy partners to offer other schools help. Brokering support from great schools will be an important role for the College, LLEs and NLEs. He envisages a new approach to curriculum as one of the new ways to tackle a tragic culture of low expectations.

Gove quoted Mike Gibbons in the TES who expressed views that align with those of the new coalitions:

"A study of models of innovation in other domains show that the most dynamic consist of a group of large organisations surrounded by very small start-up groups around the margins. In this model, new structures act as tugboats adding extra 'pull' to the drive to increase universal standards, not the innovations dragging much-needed resources away from the fleet."

The sum of the system will continue to be greater than the parts. Structural reform is needed urgently to get more excellent teachers into the classroom. It is planned to write off the student loans of science and maths teachers and to shift resources so that training is possible in their own school. He felt that teaching is a craft best learned as an apprentice and so more classroom observation will be encouraged. He added that it is vital to tackle discipline and behaviour, with parents taking increased responsibility, in a culture where adult authority is respected. He encouraged greater control over career development with a vital role for the College. He described how we need richer, timelier, more in-depth data (for instance on pedagogies that succeed) as improvement must be more evidence based. He will re-focus the Ofsted inspection regime and their role will be inverse to schools success.

He envisages a new approach to curriculum as one of the new ways to tackle a tragic culture of low expectations. Curriculum should be properly international with evidence from around the world to inform our core offer and again to provide evidence of good practice. Exam standards must also be internationally comparable. Ofqual should gauge exam standards both over time and across the world.

He closed by saying: "It's our ambition to nurture, encourage and inspire to do more  - for every child to achieve everything they are capable of, with my role being to serve you in your task".

The full text of Michael Gove's speech can be read at http://www.education.gov.uk/news/news/nationalcollege.

Kathy Seddon