The ambitious US schools that influence Tory policy

The charter school model in the US could soon be replicated over here. Lauren Higgs reports. 

In the Bronx, New York, schools come in all shapes and sizes. The Harriet TubmanCharter School is a converted supermarket and the KIPP (Knowledge Is Power Programme) Academy resides on one floor of an office block.  

On the surface, these urban schools are a remote cry from the UK education system. 

But, if the Conservatives get their way, this could be about to change. 

Charter schools are independent education providers, which receive public money to educate children in disadvantaged areas, where state schools have failed in the past. KIPP schools come under this banner. 

There are clear parallels between these schools and the UK's academies programme. But, as teachers and pupils from Darwen Aldridge Community Academy in Lancashire discovered on a visit to New York, their approach is very different. 

Commitment to ambition 

Howard McWilliam, head teacher of the academy, was struck by the schools' uncompromising commitment to ambition and attainment. 

His own academy specialises in entrepreneurialism and the trip was organised to teach students about entrepreneurial approaches to education and social enterprise. 

"These schools are all about a 'can-do' approach and reinforcing an achievement culture," he explains. "It was inspirational." 

Regardless of the resources or facilities available, students are expected to aspire to university and behave in a highly disciplined manner. 

The results are impressive. Across 82 KIPP schools in the US, four out five students are eligible for subsidised school meals, but more than 80 percent go on to college. 

Many non-KIPP charter schools have experienced similar success. 

McWilliam was impressed by the schools' attainment, but admits there are elements of theUS approach that may not work in the UK. 

"I wouldn't say I totally agree with everything the KIPP Academy was doing. I thought the discipline was a bit overbearing," he explains. 

Trust in students 

He was more at ease with the Harriet Tubman Charter School's ethos. "They put more trust on the students to police their own behaviour," he says. 

Tom Thornber, a 16-year-old pupil from Darwen Aldridge Community Academy, agrees, saying: "It was like a military school, everyone was told off for talking and walked in a straight line." 

But like McWilliam, Tom believes the Harriet Tubman Charter School struck the right balance between discipline and friendliness: "The atmosphere there was brilliant because everyone really wanted to learn." 

Doubts aside, McWilliam is a keen advocate of academies and believes the charter school model could bring further benefits to the UK. 

But many would disagree. Chris Keates, general secretary of the teaching union, NASUWT, says there is "a great danger" in looking at how a model works in one country and seeking to replicate it elsewhere. 

She is also concerned that the relatively new schools are yet to be subjected to long-term evaluations: "To adopt a model that's not even tried and tested in its country of origin is very ill-conceived." 

She argues that the ethos that schools should have high aspirations for all students is reflected already in Labour policies such as Every Child Matters. 

"The models that the Conservatives are looking at are not about improving state education," Keates warns. "They are about throwing education open to the markets." 

Extended hours: Tory plans for disadvantaged pupils 

"The KIPP (Knowledge Is Power Programme) schools in the States have taken children from the poorest backgrounds and set them on course for success in college. 

Those schools were founded by alumnae of the Teach for America scheme, which offersAmerica's brightest graduates the chance to teach in some of the country's toughest schools. 

Teach for America is the inspiration behind our own Teach First scheme. 

Many schools in this country that have been successful in turning around the lives of disadvantaged pupils have benefited from the enthusiasm, commitment and intellectual accomplishment of Teach First teachers. 

KIPP schools insist on a longer school day to ensure children achieve more. Evidence shows that the schools that have the greatest impact in poorer areas often do so by extending school hours into the evening and weekends so they can offer extra classes for struggling children. 

I believe schools in England must be able to organise their timetables to be able to offer more children from disadvantaged backgrounds these opportunities and therefore they need the flexibility to reward teachers appropriately. 

A Conservative government would extend Teach First to every region of the country and into primary schools, and also create an equivalent programme to KIPP with the alumni of Teach First and the Teaching Leaders and Future Leaders initiatives. 

That way we can provide thousands of children from deprived backgrounds the opportunity to learn with the very best teachers, in schools with high expectations and a strong ethos. If we are elected it will open the door to the creation of KIPP-style schools in England."