Teachers are to be given more freedom over how they educate pupils under government plans to end a decade of centrally controlled education policy.

Children's Secretary Ed Balls said money currently spent ensuring primary schools follow national guidelines when teaching English and maths would be given to head teachers instead. The money would be set aside for English and maths learning, and the so-called daily "literacy and numeracy hours" would remain, but school principals would be free to choose where to buy relevant support and teaching materials.

"We are giving more flexibility and judgment to head teachers and teachers to decide what will work best for their school," Mr Balls told BBC radio. "They will then be judged on how they deliver the results."

Teaching unions said the move, to be detailed by the government next week, marked a change to a more local model of education provision. "The days of the top-down centrally prescribed model of school improvement are over," said John Dunford, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders.

Mr Dunford said the recommended teaching methods had become like "tramlines" and that teachers would welcome their demise.

"We are now getting some very high quality people into teaching and they want to be able to think for themselves."

The new Labour government of Tony Blair introduced a common approach to teaching across England in 1999 in order to boost education standards.

But in recent years pupil performance has hit a plateau, while teaching unions have pleaded for a relaxation of the government's education rules.