After wide-ranging reforms under the coalition government, the last thing many teachers will want is even more changes, but with a general election on the horizon and education a key area of debate, it may be inevitable.

Labour is stating it wants a more "coherent" method of running the different types of state-funded schools in England, including academies and free schools. The plans have been outlined by a new report from former education secretary David Blunkett.

One of the major shifts will see 'directors of school standards' brought in to monitor schools in local areas and current shadow education secretary Tristram Hunt said these roles would provide "robust local oversight of all schools".

Another key change would bring academies and free schools, which currently operate outside the control of local authority education services, under the stewardship of these local directors, who would have the power to intervene if problems with underperformance occurred.

The report highlights issues with the poor standards seen at the E-Act academy chain and the Al-Madinah free school, with Mr Blunkett stating it was "unsustainable" and "undemocratic" to have thousands of individual schools "contractually bound to the secretary of state and free-floating from the communities they serve".

"All public-funded schools should be held to the highest standard - without fear or favour," he added.

The responsibility for creating more teaching jobs to cope with the demand for school places would also fall under the control of these 'education tsars', who would be appointed by councils from a list of candidates approved by the education secretary.

People with experience in Darryl Mydat