Tony Little said teachers were often unable to innovate because of the demands of official inspections and the need to get pupils into leading universities.

He warned that schools in Britain were less independent than those in the United States which have more freedom to validate and run their own courses.

Ministers want growing numbers of state schools in England to convert into academies – giving them more power over the curriculum, staff pay and shape of the academic year.

The schools – free of local authority control – are intended to mirror the “autonomy” exercised in the fee-paying sector.

Speaking yesterday, Mr Little said the programme was a “genuine step in the right direction” but needed to go much further.

via >Schools held back by university demands, says Eton head – Telegraph.