A curious procession of ice-cream vans, hot dog vendors and chauffeur-driven Rolls Royces bearing cigar-chewing millionaire businessmen snaked up Downing Street this morning, writes Rebecca Smithers, much to the surprise of the tourists peering through the security gates.
They were among the 50 potential sponsors of the government's new trust schools on their way to a top-level seminar convened by the prime minister and his education secretary Ruth Kelly.
At an impromptu press conference afterwards, Ms Kelly said: 'I am absolutely delighted to announce that Benny's Burgers will be sponsoring a brand new trust school in my Bolton constituency. Replacing the failing Billy Bunter comprehensive, it will offer a brand new vocational specialism in modern grilling techniques and advanced flipping skills. It will offer catch-up classes in bread roll technology for the really thick kids, and a fast-stream chute to Benny's new restaurant in Blackpool for the brightest children with managerial potential. We welcome this initiative and will shortly announce further such partnerships. Such a link-up would not be possible without the reforms in our forthcoming Education Bill.'
Actually, I made most of the detail up. I had put my thinking cap on to imagine what my late and esteemed colleague, Guardian columnist Ted Wragg, would have made of this government's efforts to drum up support from private sponsors for trust schools, which will be given more freedoms to run their own affairs. He would have had a field day, I suspect.
In fact, the potential sponsors attending today's Downing Street seminar include Monkseaton language college, Thomas Telford school, Deacon's school, University of West of England, Microsoft and accountants and consultants KPMG. The event builds on the earlier smaller seminar held at DfES two weeks ago for organisations interested in exploring becoming, backing or participating in Trusts.
And what Ruth Kelly did say was: 'While the political debate is hugely important, alongside that debate, we also want to focus on the practical implications for schools on the ground. This process reaches beyond the politics of this debate, to what really matters - creating strong partnerships and exciting opportunities for successful schools to branch out and expand. While there have been real and substantial improvements in the education system, there are pupils who are not being served well by the education system, particularly in deprived areas. What we are doing is building on what works best. Trusts are not an attack on the comprehensive ideal, but they are an attack on poor standards. We can harness the ideas, energy and talent in the community that exists in voluntary groups, charities, universities and in business foundations, to help more children reach their full potential.'
Getting universities and cash-rich consultants involved in education is one thing. It seems odd that, at a time when moves are being made to discourage 'maverick' sponsors from getting involved in the City Academy programme, the government is keen to enlist the 'energy' of the private sector - regardless of its experience or track record (or lack of it) in education. Teachers' leaders predict that there will be little interest from schools in adopting trust status, although government adviser Sir Cyril Taylor forecasts there will be up to 500 new trust schools set up in the near future. The reality may lie somewhere in the middle but only time will tell ...
