Dr Mary Bousted, general secretary of the Association of Teachers
and Lecturers (ATL), said: “The Conservative Manifesto recognises
the multiple crises education faces but clearly doesn’t
understand the scale of action needed.
“Any increase to the schools’ budget will be welcome but unless
school funding rises in proportion to increasing pupil numbers as
well as in real terms, it simply won’t be enough. 2022 will be
too late and budget increases need to be front-loaded to the
start of the parliament to address the cuts being suffered, and
to prevent even more schools increasing class sizes, reducing the
curriculum, and losing great teachers. Schools are on the ropes
and the next Government must do more to save them.
“ATL has called for student loan forgiveness as a tool in
retaining teachers so welcomes this pledge. However, the crisis
of teacher recruitment is such that this intervention will be
needed for today’s teachers not just tomorrow’s. The measures
promised for addressing the teacher recruitment and retention
crisis are necessary but far from sufficient – and they lack
either strategy or an evidence base. This Manifesto is silent on
the public sector pay cap, yet it is time to commit to abolish it
and properly fund the passionate and expert teachers our children
need.
“The Government’s Teacher Workload Survey highlighted a serious
problem in schools. Teachers will be cynical about promises to
reduce unnecessary paperwork and the burden of Ofsted when
similar pledges were made in the last Conservative Manifesto, and
little progress was made in government.
“The Conservatives’ proposals for the EBacc measure is part of
the skills problem. It greatly limits learners’ chances in the
fast-changing world of emerging technologies they will enter as
adults. It gives little consideration to children with special
educational needs and abilities, many of whom will struggle with
this narrow range of subjects. Plans for post-16 education are
not based on evidence, fail to address structural issues in our
labour market, and neither account properly for learner needs nor
seek to take advantage of the further education workforce’s
expertise. The Manifesto makes a nod to the important issue of
quality apprenticeships but doesn’t provide confidence this will
be a priority in the race for more and more.
“Teachers, pupils and parents are doing their best in pressured
circumstances. But standards are hard to improve amidst these
widespread crises. The Conservatives don’t propose the action
needed on education for pupils up and down the country because
they have become fixated – again – on particular types of school.
These are whims at best but pose a huge risk at worst. The weight
of evidence is very clearly against selective education. The
answer to providing sufficient good school places is empowered
local authorities with local place planning powers and
responsibilities – not central Government fads that will serve a
lucky few and damage education for the majority.”
