Miliband: Pupils 'drop out' if they leave at 16

David Miliband, the new minister for School Standards, told headteachers yesterday that every child who left school at 16 was a "drop-out".

Mr Miliband, who has become a minister at the age of 36, said in his first address to an education gathering: "We must be one of the few countries in the Western world still to have a culture of school-leaving at 16, when in fact leaving at 16 means dropping out."

He called for a national debate on government proposals to shake up secondary school education and encourage all youngsters to stay on in education or training until 18 or 19 at least. "It is worth having a debate to get this right and I think we should take the time to do so," he said.

His call will be seized on by headteachers as an opportunity to voice their concerns over what they say is an overloaded exams and testing regime in state schools. Delegates at the National Association of Head Teachers' (conference in Torquay this week have likened secondary schools to "exams factories".

Mr Miliband, who has risen to one of the most senior ministerial posts outside the Cabinet since being elected to Parliament last year, was introduced to the conference by Sue Sayles, a former union president, as "looking like a Year 8 pupil [12-year-old] in a suit, not a minister". When he left the platform to one of the most prolonged rounds of applausegiven to a government minister by headteachers, he was praised by Eric Spear, the current president, for an "inspired vision" of the future of the education service.

In his speech, Mr Miliband said the Government would be investing "significant funds" in education as a result of Gordon Brown's comprehensive spending review. However, he added: "I am absolutely clear that public support for investment is conditional on the money going into programmes that deliver. That is why investment alone is not enough. Reform alone is not enough. The two must go together."

He said the country could celebrate "genuine success" in improving education standards, but added: "It is far too early to declare victory. There is still a steep hill to climb."

He rejected criticism of the Government's aim to get 50 per cent of young people into higher education by the end of the decade, saying the dissent was "dressed up as a concern for standards. In fact, the defence of the status quo is rooted in snobbery. The battle is never won, but our case should be clear: there is talent in every child and education can release it."

He said the gap in performance between pupils from poor and wealthy backgrounds grew as they became older. "The result is that the UK has one of the biggest class divides in education in the industrialised world," he said. "The gap in attainment becomes evident as early as 22 months and is wider at 14 than seven.

"By the age of 18 the son or daughter of someone on low income is nearly three times less likely to get to university than someone whose parents have a professional background."