The government's commitment to reforming education over the last four and a half years has been "the most far-reaching for a generation", according to school reform minister Nick Gibb.

Integral to this transformation has been the improvements made to the curriculum, which has made it more knowledge-based and "academically rigorous", and the renewed focus on raising standards of student behaviour in class.

Mr Gibb is most impressed with the structural reforms the government has made, which he says has delivered "professional autonomy".

"At the centre of these is academisation, making schools free from local authority control," the MP explained. "Accompanying this were numerous smaller reforms, designed to pass powers back to teachers and heads - the aim, to let a thousand flowers bloom.

"We are now in the enviable position of being able to see which of these flowers have bloomed the brightest."

Mr Gibbs said that after nine years of specialising in education – he was previously shadow schools minister – he is particularly excited about the "new vibrancy and excitement" that is filtering through the educations system.

His enthusiasm for the role, he revealed, is partly down to the fact that his mother was a primary school teacher.

It suggests that he appreciates the value of improving the experience of such professionals knowing all too well the important role they place in ensuring young people have the best start to life.

Statistics shows that school standards are improving. For example, the number of schools judged as "good" or "outstanding" by Ofsted was up by ten per cent in 2013 (it was 70 per cent in 2012).

"Our reforms to GCSEs are helping reverse the decline in the number of pupils taking rigorous academic qualifications," Mr Gibb continued.

"The number of pupils taking challenging English Baccalaureate subjects has risen dramatically under this government. In 2010, only 22 per cent of pupils in state-funded schools entered all Baccalaureate subjects."