Labour announces plan to improve education standards for all children

Labour is today (Thursday) announcing a plan to improve education standards for all children after the OECD revealed on Tuesday that school children in Britain are more likely to be miserable compared with children in other countries.

Angela Rayner, Labour’s Shadow Education Secretary, said:

“Labour will transform education standards in this country for every child, capping class sizes and ensuring every child is taught by a qualified teacher in a safe school building.

“We will invest in record per pupil funding, restore the Pupil Premium and close the gap in support for children with special educational needs and disabilities, to give every child the support they need.

“The Tories cannot be trusted to do this. They have slashed school funding for the first time in a generation, leaving pupils taught by unqualified teachers, crammed in to super-sized classes, and not receiving the support they need.”

Commenting on Labour’s strategy to improve education standards through investment, Kevin Courtney, Joint General Secretary of the National Education Union, said:

“Labour’s plan for investment in education and in teachers is very welcome news both for parents and the profession.

“The increases in class sizes, the lack of qualified teachers in many classes, the cuts in support for SEND pupils and the growing teacher recruitment and retention crisis, shows the current Government is failing in its basic educational job.

“At the same time our school buildings have been falling into disrepair – all these problems are a direct result of the current Government’s decision to cut real-terms funding to our schools and colleges.

“Children and young people have only one chance to go to school, it deserves to be the best.

“The plan outlined by Labour will address the years of underfunding and allow schools to heal and to plan improvements, increasing SEND support, supporting teachers and other staff, capping class sizes and improving our school buildings.

“It will give hope to teacher and headteachers up and down the country.

“This is exactly the support and vision for education that teachers, headteachers, support staff and parents have been crying out for.”

UNISON general secretary Dave Prentis said:

“Schools are paying a high price for government cuts, which have starved them of funding for years.

“Slashed staffing numbers, rising class sizes and dilapidated buildings are the legacy of a public-school elite with little interest in providing quality education for every child and young person.

“Labour has unveiled a vision of a progressive education system. Investing in staff, pupils and buildings is the only way to reverse the damage inflicted by a callous, self-serving government.”

Liberal Democrat Shadow Education Secretary Layla Moran said:
 
“Our schools and colleges should be world class, but instead Conservative cuts  have led to staff being sacked and schools closing early to balance the books.
 
“While Labour have attempted to copy the Liberal Democrat policy to employ 20,000 more teachers, they have no hope of meeting this target. With thousands of EU teachers coming to work in schools each year, Labour cannot square these promises with delivering Brexit.
 
“The Liberal Democrats are the party that can stop the Conservatives getting a majority, stop Brexit and build a brighter future for our children.”