Education reform bill is expected within weeks

The new coalition government is expected to launch an education bill as part of the Queen's Speech on 25 May

that will allow parents and private providers to set up new schools, introduce a pupil premium for disadvantaged students and overhaul accountability for schools.

The legislation could also signal the end of the Building Schools for the Future programme and plans to raise the participation age to 18 by 2015.

John Dunford, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said schools must work with other parts of children's services, despite the promise of increased autonomy.

"It is vitally important that the greater freedoms for schools are accompanied by a continuing obligation to collaborate so that the interests of all young people are given fair weight," he said.

But Dunford denied that Tory plans to abolish children's trust obligations would hinder joint working. "They have always seemed unnecessary to me," he said.

He said the schools sector is unlikely to change as much as was predicted ahead of the election. "I have not detected a huge amount of enthusiasm for parent-initiated schools," he claimed.

But Rachel Wolf, director of the New Schools Network, insisted that more than 450 groups of parents, teachers and charities want to set up new schools. "We've been inundated with enquiries," she said.

Meanwhile, there is uncertainty over Labour's post-16 learning reforms. In April, the Learning and Skills Council was dissolved as local authorities took responsibility for education and training for 16- to 19-year-olds. But the Tories have mooted plans to reverse this.

Paul Eeles, director of sector reforms and 14 to 19 at the Association of Learning Providers, said reversing the transfer could be detrimental to young people not in education, employment or training (Neet). "Bespoke local solutions could work better," he said.

The Department for Education was unable to comment as CYP Now went to press.