Politicians of all parties are called upon to support the establishment of a National Education Commission. Its first task being to draft proposals outlining how responsibility for national policy-making for education may be decoupled from the machinery of party politics.

The education of children and young people requires a long-term commitment to excellence. Where changes are necessary, they need to reflect the aims of education we have agreed as a society. They need to be based on reliable research that identifies the benefits to children's learning, attainment and welfare in recognition of the fact that their future will be different from our past.

In a modern democratic Britain, where education plays a greater role than ever before in the lives of ordinary individuals and of society, it is no longer appropriate that any government, even though democratically elected, is able to dictate education priorities simply by virtue of its success at the ballot box. If we are to improve the life chances of our young people and strengthen our nation's role as a world leader, the education service will need to draw on the support of the finest individuals available, whether they represent another political party, teachers and educational professionals, lay people, parents, the business community or any other group dedicated to serve our children and young people.