Commenting on Labour’s plans for education being announced
on Thursday, Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association
of School and College Leaders, said:
“Labour’s plans to recruit and train many more teachers are
ambitious, but it is right to identify this as a key priority.
Schools will need more teachers because of a huge increase in the
number of secondary school pupils. But that is not the end of the
story. More teachers are also needed in order to tackle the fact
that far too many pupils are currently being taught in large
classes of 31 or more because of funding cuts. The next
government must ensure schools are able to deliver the basic
expectations of parents – classes of no more than 30 pupils, and
every child taught by a qualified teacher.
“Similarly, Labour’s plan to spend £7 billion on school
buildings is a huge commitment but it is badly needed because
capital funding has simply not kept pace with need. This was
identified in a National Audit Office report in 2017 which found
that it would cost £6.7 billion to return all
school buildings to satisfactory or better condition, and a
further £7.1 billion to bring parts of school buildings from
satisfactory to good condition. The school estate is a national
asset, but it is currently in a state of decline and this must be
addressed.”
