The new Education Bill was published on Thursday 27th February. Some of the key measures proposed in the new Education Bill are:

• the extension of the Secretary of State's powers to intervene where schools are underperforming
• the introduction of smarter school inspections. Ofsted will now focus only on four core elements of schools - pupil achievement, teaching, leadership and behaviour and safety
• measuring our education system against the best in the world. Ofqual will compare our exam standards against the highest performing countries
• strengthening teachers' powers to deal with bad behaviour: giving teachers the power to search for any items schools ban that disrupt learning, like mobile phones and video cameras. It also gives schools the final say in expelling violent pupils and protects teachers from pupils making false allegations
• the dissolution of the General Teaching Council for England and the Qualification and Curriculum Development Agency. It will also abolish the School Support Staff Negotiating Body and the Training and Development Agency for Schools
• it also seeks to cut down bureaucratic requirements placed on schools.

The Bill will receive its Second Reading in the House of Commons on February 8th and it may be many months before it is implemented so keep an eye out for news of any changes!