Government failing to recognise sheer scale of school funding issues, say Lib Dems

Responding to the Department for Education’s announcement that applications have opened for academies and sixth form colleges to access more than £400 million for school improvements, Liberal Democrat Education spokesperson Layla Moran said:

“Any extra money for schools is always welcome but today’s announcement comes nowhere near the amount needed and shows how the Government have again failed to realise the sheer scale of the issue.

“The list of school building repairs is growing faster than they can be fixed.  In 2017, the National Audit Office calculated that it would cost £6.7bn to return England’s schools to a satisfactory condition or better. Imagine how much it would cost now, two years on.

“Years of Conservative funding cuts mean that school budgets simply do not stretch far enough. This is a sticking plaster that only covers the next year and excludes schools that are not academies or sixth form colleges. By stipulating that applicants must get pay under control only shows us that the Government has failed to restrain executive pay in Academies.

“The Liberal Democrats would create a £17 billion infrastructure fund that would provide capital investment to expand and modernise our schools and hospitals, so that children can learn in well maintained, modern schools.”