I'm just back from the launch of a new report by Policy Exchange, which calls for profit-making companies to be allowed to use government money to run state schools. The report has generated quite a bit of attention in the press, so I thought it was worth examining their claims in more detail.
1. Profit-making schools would drive up standards
The report claims that having the profit motive would encourage schools to compete and improve. While competition has worked to raise standards in some public services (most notably health), there is less evidence that it works in schooling. The OECD's analysis of its 2009 PISA results is clear on this point, stating that 'countries that create a more competitive environment in which many schools compete for students do not systematically produce better results.'
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