Businesses to run schools

The CBI, an employer lobby group, has published a report entitled, 'Fulfilling Potential, the Business role in Education', which calls for greater business engagement in the education system.

The report welcomes the Government's academy and free school initiatives but argues that reform should go further. The report advocates the creation of school 'federations' in order to improve standards; schools would group together to share best practice and be controlled by a single governing body.

The CBI also urges the Department of Education to set out a clear business engagement strategy in its upcoming White Paper on school reform. The report urges Government to accredit trusted private and third sector providers to enable them to run schools and school federations, as well as broaden the free schools programme to include businesses.

Susan Anderson, Director of Education and Skills at the CBI, commented: "Businesses have a key role to play in raising educational outcomes, not just by offering students work experience and career support, or acting as school governors, but also by bringing their vast, largely untapped, reservoir of experience to bear in advising, managing and partnering with schools".

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