Tories vow to wipe out mixed ability classes

Conservative leader David Cameron and Shadow Schools Secretary Michael Gove will tomorrow outline proposals to introduce setting by ability to every classroom while on a visit to London's East End.

The measure in the Tories' "green paper" will be accompanied by other moves to toughen discipline and set a target that every pupil should be able to read by the age of six.

But, in a bid to spike Labour claims that the party is in favour of an "elite few", the Conservatives will refine Mr Cameron's pledge to offer "a grammar school stream" in every school.

Streaming places some pupils in the top classes for all subjects, whereas setting places them in classes in each subject according to ability. The Tories will now make clear that setting is the preferred option and that streaming need only apply in smaller schools with limited timetabling.

Although Labour's 1997 election manifesto hinted at more setting in schools, the proportion of lessons taught according to ability stood at just 40 per cent in 2006. In some subjects, such as history and geography, nearly three-quarters of lessons take place in mixed ability classes.

The Tories plan to make information on setting a key requirement of an Ofsted inspection, a move they claim will force London's worst schools to start setting. Mr Gove told the Standard today: "Children should be given the opportunity to learn in accordance with their particular aptitude and ability, so that the brightest pupils are stretched and those who might be struggling are given extra support.

"We want to see more teaching by ability in schools so we can begin to narrow the gap in achievement between those from the most disadvantaged backgrounds and the rest."

The Tories also pledge to improve discipline and behaviour in schools, shifting the balance of power back to the teacher and ending outside panels overturning exclusion decisions.

Mr Gove also wants to pioneer a credit and debit Behaviour Monitoring Programme to provide parents with weekly updates on pupil behaviour and give pupils a termly reward or penalty. To boost literacy, synthetic phonics will be the preferred method of teaching reading - one Schools Minister Lord Adonis claimed yesterday the Government was persuing.

Schools Secretary Ed Balls has claimed the party's opposition to raising the education leaving age to 18will entrench privilege.