Labour leader will today pledge to shatter
the ‘class ceiling’ in Britain and undertake radical reform of
the education system to prepare young people for work and
life
In a speech in Gillingham, launching his fifth and final
mission for a better Britain, Starmer will say that: “the
race is on for the jobs and industries of the
future” and Britain must “grow the talents of every
child” to succeed.
He will explain why the ‘class ceiling’ is stifling opportunity
for too many young people across the country.
“There’s also something more pernicious. A pervasive idea, a
barrier in our collective minds, that narrows our ambitions for
working class children and says, sometimes with subtlety,
sometimes to your face - this isn’t for you. Some
people call it the “class ceiling” – and that’s a good name for
it. It’s about economic insecurity, structural and racial
injustice – of course it is. But it’s also about a fundamental
lack of respect. A snobbery that too often extends into
adulthood. Raising its ugly head when it comes to inequalities at
work – in pay, promotions, opportunities to progress”.
Starmer will draw on his working-class background, the
first in his family to go to university, to say why this mission
is so personal to
him.
“This mission is my core purpose and my personal cause. To
fight – at every stage, for every child – the pernicious
idea that background equals destiny. That your circumstances, who
you are, where you come from, who you know, might shape your life
more than your talent, effort and enterprise. No –
breaking that link: that’s what Labour is for. I’ve
always felt that. It runs deep for me.”
He will say that fulfilling his five missions depends
upon harnessing the talents of everyone, with a world
class education and skills strategy, in all parts of the country.
The speech will set out a plan and bold reforming agenda to
expand opportunity:
- Planning reform – to build more houses so that
1.5 million people can become homeowners
- Early years reform – to boost child
development with an ambitious target of half a million more
children hitting their early learning targets by 2030
- School reform – modernising the curriculum so that it
properly prepares young people with the knowledge, skills and
personal qualities needed to thrive in work and life.
- Strengthen the teaching profession – so that we end
the recruitment and retention crisis that is doing so much damage
to standards in schools and ensure every child has an excellent
specialist teacher in their classroom.
- Skills reform – creating more opportunities for young
people to learn vocational skills and adults to retrain in the
skills businesses need
Labour’s opportunity plan will put at its heart the ambitious
goal of changing Britain so children’s future earnings are
no longer limited by those of their parents, making us one of the
fairest countries in the OECD. This is something no
government has systematically attempted to do before.
Starmer will say that including everyone in the new
economy is vital if Britain is to succeed in a rapidly changing
world:
“It’s urgent. This is the world of artificial intelligence,
of genomics, of technologies that stretch the boundaries of
our imagination.
“We’ve got to open our minds to meet that. Turn our
eyes towards our children’s future. Make sure - we are
preparing them for life and work
in their Britain. The industries of
tomorrow can come to our shores. But the rest of the
world is pushing forward as well. The race for the future is
unforgiving. So, we’ve got to move fast.
“We must unlock the potential that is
in every community. Grow the talents
of every child.”
Starmer will say that one of the most important ways of
shattering the class ceiling is ending once and for all the
academic/vocational divide that still does great damage to the
lives of too many young people.
He will say:
“I’m serious - the sheep and goats mentality that’s always been
there in English education. The “academic for my kids; vocational
for your kids” snobbery. This has no place in modern society. No
connection to the jobs of the future.
“No - for our children to succeed, they need a grounding in both.
Need skills and knowledge. Practical problem-solving and academic
rigour. Curiosity and a love of learning too – they’ve always
been critical. But now – as the future rushes towards us. We also
need a greater emphasis on creativity, on resilience, on
emotional intelligence and the ability to adapt. On all the
attributes – to put it starkly – that make us human, that
distinguish us from learning machines.”
