- guardian.co.uk, Thursday May 17 2007 11.09 BST
- The Guardian, Thursday May 17 2007
In a speech to the Institute of Public Policy Research, Mr Johnson will say that by 2010-11 the government will spend an extra £1bn on closing the gap between rich and poor in school attainment. Mr Johnson believes his working-class credentials - he left school at 15 to stack shelves in Tesco - would be an asset to a leadership team with Gordon Brown.
The money comes out of existing Department for Education and Skills budgets. As well as the extra £217m for poorer children, administered through the extended schools programme, Mr Johnson will also promise to continue the expansion of Sure Start children's centres and provide more outreach workers in the most deprived regions. Other measures already agreed include funding for an extra 10 hours of tuition in English and Maths for 600,000 struggling pupils and more mental health support.
Mr Johnson believes there is evidence that extended schools - which will be offered 48 weeks a year, five days a week from 8am to 6pm from 2010 - can help break the cycle of disadvantage faced by vulnerable children and their families.
But today MPs on the Commons education committee criticise a key aspect of the government's attempt to improve the employment chances of poorer children.
They condemn the way work-based courses are being introduced in schools and colleges and question whether the new diplomas offered as alternatives to GCSEs and A levels for 14-19-year-olds will be ready by September next year .
Ministers must do far more to convince students, parents, employers and universities that the qualifications are worth taking, their report says, despite claims that they represent the most important education reform for generations.
The MPs say it is not clear whether the new programmes are intended to be vocational. Exam bodies will have little time to develop curricula for the qualifications and there has been too little feedback from small and medium-sized employers whose reactions will be vital in "creating a climate of business acceptance".
