Commenting on the Queen’s Speech, Geoff Barton, General Secretary
of the Association of School and College Leaders, said:
“Schools and colleges will be relieved that there are no
immediate plans to introduce further reforms in a sector which
has had more than its fair share of change and badly needs a
breathing space.
“But we are concerned to see that the government still
intends to bring forward unspecified proposals during the course
of the parliament.
“We sincerely hope that this is not an attempt to revive its
plans to expand the number of selective schools in England. This
policy is a dangerous distraction from the really important
issues of funding and teacher supply and it should be consigned
to history.
Funding
“The Queen’s Speech does not tell us what the government
intends to do about either funding or teacher supply.
“The education funding crisis clearly broke through as a
major issue in the General Election. But the Conservatives’
manifesto commitment fell short of what is needed and would
result in further real-terms cuts on top of those that have
already taken place.
“The government must invest funding which meets the needs of
schools and colleges, and we are disappointed that it has failed
today to even acknowledge the ongoing crisis.
“We are pleased that it has reaffirmed its commitment to the
introduction of a National Funding Formula. It is vital that this
ensures a genuinely equitable distribution of funding to
schools.
Technical education
“The government’s planned investment in technical education
is welcome. However, that commitment fails to do anything for the
rest of post-16 education, which is extremely poorly funded, and
where many courses are being cut.”
