ASCL response to Education Secretary’s Conservative conference speech

Commenting on announcements being made in the Education Secretary’s speech to the Conservative Party Conference today, Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said:

“While we welcome any additional investment in schools and colleges, it is disappointing that the small pots of money announced by the Education Secretary are a drop in the ocean compared to the funding that is so desperately needed to give all our young people the best possible education.

“Just a few days after 2,000 headteachers protested in London over the school funding crisis, the government’s response is to make a modest investment in specific initiatives, spread very thinly over several years. These announcements do nothing to address the shortage of funding in our schools and colleges which has resulted in cuts to the curriculum and individual support for students. The money announced today needs to be part of a sustained long-term investment in education rather than a one-off soundbite.”