It is a tremendous honour to be the Schools Commissioner for England. After 20 years of running schools I am very excited at the prospect of working at a national level to help drive something that all of us want to see – more good schools for all of our pupils, regardless of their background.
I know how great the challenge is in some areas. I know how dedicated and hard working teachers, heads and governors are across the country – desperately trying to improve their schools. I want them to know that I’m on their side.
However, I will not shy away from confronting failure, and I will be honest when I don’t think schools are improving fast enough. My direct experience of transforming a good school to great, turning round a seriously failing school, transforming primaries and setting up a new school means I am not asking anyone to do what I, and others across the country, have not already done.
DR ELIZABETH SIDWELL
Purpose of the OSC
The purpose of the OSC is to:
- Support the aims of the academies programme by improving performance across the state education sector so that, in all sponsored academies, we achieve year-on-year improvements in both average attainment levels and narrowing the attainment gaps between higher and lower performing pupils.
- Broker sponsored academy arrangements between those schools that would benefit most from being a sponsored academy, and a range of approved and established sponsors with a good track record of performance improvement.
- Extend the academies sponsorship programme and encourage a more diverse range of organisations becoming academy sponsors.
- Enthuse sufficient numbers of leaders of good schools to go for academy status.
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Raise the profile of Free Schools, university technology colleges and studio schools among prospective proposers.
