Days after the government said that school league tables may be misleading, Nick Clegg has outlined plans to set up a "champions league" of head teachers in a bid to help failing schools in England.

Speaking at a London school, the deputy prime minister said staff who have a lot of experience in a secondary teaching job would join a "pool of top talent" which could move around the country putting out fires at a moment's notice.

The idea is set to become a reality from the start of the next academic year and in the meantime the government would create a "programme to get outstanding leaders into the schools that need them the most".

Before he outlined his party's education policy in the address, Mr Clegg had trialled several parts of his speech in the media, especially the Lib Dem's stance on state-funded but autonomous free schools.

He acknowledged "differences of opinion, some strongly held", but reiterated his view that these schools should follow the national curriculum, guarantee food standards and employ only qualified teachers.

The party would not sack any unqualified teachers currently working in schools, but they would need to gain teaching qualifications while they were working in classrooms.

Since the coalition relaxed the rules on qualifications for teaching jobs, the number of unqualified teachers in free schools and academies has gone up from 2,200 in 2010 to 5,300.

Labour's shadow education secretary Tristram Hunt reacted to the speech by stating: "Nick Clegg will be judged on what he does, not what he says. Whatever he says about free schools today, the truth is this divisive policy is his - enacted by his Tory-led government because of his help and support."

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