Commenting on the Education Policy Institute analysis of
the election manifestos of the Conservative, Labour, Liberal
Democrat, Green and Brexit parties, Kevin
Courtney, Joint General Secretary of the
National Education Union, said:
“The EPI assessment of party manifestos is useful and
challenging. It is right to highlight the inequitable
nature of education in England and to scrutinise the ways in
which the parties aim to address it. The judgment that ‘the
measures set out in the Conservative manifesto are unlikely to
have a significant impact on closing the disadvantage gap’ is
shared by the Union.
“The focus on early years education is particularly
welcome. Like the EPI, the Union believes that the development of
a larger educational workforce, with higher levels of training
and qualification, is essential to a programme of Early Years
reform.
“In other aspects the EPI’s analysis is
over-cautious.
“The opposition parties – Labour, the Liberal Democrats,
the Greens – have understood the depth of the crisis in our
schools. Our systems of inspection and accountability have
created significant problems of wellbeing for staff and pupils
alike. As the OECD has noted, we have a school system that is not
aligned with the needs of our century. Teaching to the test has
lowered the quality of education.
“Researchers and educators have made a powerful and
detailed case for alternatives to the current system, and the
accountability proposals in the parties’ manifestos reflect a
widespread consensus. In placing its emphasis on the possible
negative effects of change, the EPI’s analysis overlooks this
work and the answers it provides to fears that a new
accountability system will let down disadvantaged
students.
“This week the School Cuts coalition published the
definitive assessment of manifesto commitments on education
funding. This empowers every voter to see precisely what will
happen to their local schools in a year’s time, depending on the
outcome on 12 December. Consistently, it shows a stark choice
between investment or more of the same: more staff cuts,
increased class sizes, buildings in long-term disrepair. A
generation of children has lost out due to the effects of
austerity.
“There is a clear choice at this election. Parents,
alongside teachers, head teachers and support staff, know that if
you value education then you must vote for education.”
Editor’s Note
School Cuts manifesto analysis, Do the party
pledges cut it?, 4 December 2019: https://neu.org.uk/press-releases/do-party-pledges-cut-it
