Ed Balls - Secretary of State

'I caught an early train to be here to listen to Steve’s speech. Last year’s was brilliant, this year it was even better! As Steve says - strong cheerful leadership in adversity - that’s essential.'

Some key messages from Ed Balls:
NCSL has supported and nurtured leadership talent so well. Moral purpose binds us. It is at the heart of the children’s plan and 21st century schools white paper. We need to set out the vision, the moral purpose, to back great leaders and be uncompromising in our moral standards. It is tough to give backing and be uncompromising. School visits show outstanding leadership. You are the people who will actually ensure delivery of moral our purpose.

We have set out our moral purpose on the safety of the most vulnerable children; here successes may go unnoticed. We must celebrate success and promote essential co-ordination between professionals. The case-by-case celebration of best practice in particular contexts is needed. This can then become common practice - through fundamentally local solutions. Children’s trusts were set up to get schools at the centre of decision-making.

The curriculum now has a forward pathway in place for all children. However, personalisation depends on what is done in schools. Discipline and order also depend on the use of powers by school leaders.

Looking at system leadership, national leaders of education led the way in giving wider support. Best practice in the wider curriculum needs system-wide working. We are giving more power in budgets to support, help and challenge. Inspection needs to be challenging and proportionate - and to better recognise the role of leaders across the system. Current accountability recognises and captures too narrow a view. School report cards, now being consulted upon, will revolutionise accountability. Do engage with this consultation to make reporting simple and easy but also broad.

Audience questions focused on a range of issues and Ed Balls answered that:

• foundation stage is very much learning-based and training is essential to support that
• towards shared accountability and collective responsibility, the focus on children’s trusts will act as a lever
• curriculum for life should be developed further with schools encouraging student leadership
• inspection needs to take context into account and this will be helped by report cards
• the National Challenge recognises that some school operate in a selective system, with some great schools succeeding in these circumstances
• it's not possible to create smooth transition planning to avoid education disruption if the government changes, as parties have different aims and objectives