Blair: Keen to stress education as a priority

Blair Hosts Education Summit

Mr Blair addressed 40 delegates at Downing Street for one of the few events kept on his official diary since the death of Diana, Princess of Wales.

He told them the education summit came in "sorry times", telling his guests: "We must commend a sense of national grief at the moment."

"It's not just grief as a nation, it is personal to each and every one of us. I know there are people around this table who will have met and known Princess Diana and the work she will have done," he said.

Though the event had been given an extremely low profile and an announcement due to have been made today was postponed, Mr Blair said he felt it appropriate to go ahead with the summit.

"Of all subjects to take forward is the education of our children," he told delegates.

"We thought it right that we continued to have it and have the discussion about how we continue to improve our schools and the education of our children for the future," he stressed.

Summit to improve education standards

The guests, including Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Schools Chris Woodhead, the Education Secretary David Blunkett, education officers and headteachers, were told their brainstorming session would concentrate on four themes:

• Stretching the abilities of the average child
• Improving the quality of teaching and the motivation of teachers
• Tackling underperformance in schools
• Strengthening leadership

"The one thing that most of us know as parents is that the leadership in a school is as important as any other single component in whether that school succeeds or fails," Mr Blair added.

The Government is keen to indicate that raising standards in schools is still at the heart of its policy.

David Blunkett: "A listening meeting"

As youngsters return to school after the summer holidays, the Department for Education and Employment is consulting on its White Paper, Excellence in Schools, published in July.

"No-one can be in any doubt that the Prime Minister is clearly focused on the challenges ahead for our schools," said Mr Blunkett.

"Today's education summit provides us with a unique opportunity to bring together 40 teachers and others from the world of education to hear how they have succeeded in raising standards, often against the odds," he said.

He was keen to "stimulate a full debate with parents and teachers on raising standards and share experience on how to best achieve it".