School report cards would be a 'bureaucratic burden'

In its response to a consultation surrounding the plans the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) has called for them to be rethought.

In the consultation document 21st Century Schools: A World-Class Education for Every Child/A School Report Card, the government acknowledges that the current league table system fails to properly show schools' progress.

To rectify this it proposes a school report card to look at improvements that are closely aligned to the Every Child Matters agenda. This will include information about pupils' prospects of economic wellbeing and their positive contribution to the community.

But Malcolm Trobe, ASCL policy director, said: "What this does is add another tier, another area of accountability for schools to adhere to."

He said that schools in disadvantaged areas are more likely to have weaker management structures, which means they are less likely to adapt well to this new system.

Other concerns of the ASCL are that the report cards will run alongside existing league tables and will issue schools with an overall score.

"This could just confuse people. If you are going to have a new way of measuring performance then you need to do away with the old way to give it any credibility," he said.

The consultation closes on 3 March.