We need pushy parents to improve failing schools, says education minister

Parents who battle to get their children to the best schools  -  shunning substandard ones  -  actually help raise standards overall, he said.

His praise for demanding parents contrasts with attempts by senior education ministers to stop them dominating good schools.

But his remarks echo David Cameron's refusal to criticise 'middle-class parents with sharp elbows'.

Sharp elbows: Tory leader David Cameron praises pushy parents

The Tory leader said: 'I think it's good for parents to want the best for their kids'.

Lord Adonis, a former adviser to Tony Blair who was given a peerage to allow him to serve as schools minister, said: 'I want every parent to be a pushy parent. It is a jolly good thing.'

The minister sends his two children to a state primary near his home in Islington, North London, and has yet to negotiate the secondary school admissions system. 

His tone has changed since Labour came to power. In an article in 1996, he complained that ' securing places in popular church schools is an art form for the professional classes'.

Lord Adonis's backing for pushy parents came as he signalled an expansion of the Government's flagship academies programme, initially intended to replace failing schools, beyond the official target of 400.

He said there was 'strong pressure' to carry on with the programme, with demand from parents making it possible to go on opening 100 a year after 2011, when the target is likely to be met.

The schools could transfer the values of independent education to the state sector, Lord Adonis told the Sunday Times. They would be 'akin to private schools', with strict disciplinary codes, a broad curriculum and 12-hour days.

While the schools are funded day-to-day by the state, they are controlled by private sponsors, church groups or other organisations rather than local authorities. 

The policy is hugely controversial among Labour's left and teaching unions who object to schools being removed from local control. 

Lord Adonis said: 'We will have no difficulty moving beyond 400. We will make a political decision in due course on where we go beyond 400. 

He said provisional figures showed GCSE results at academies, usually located in poorer areas, had improved twice as fast as the national average this year. 

Lord Adonis said: 'My motto as an ardent Blairite is, in the master's words, what matters is what works'.