Posted by Naomi Fearon

What does a good early years care and education system look like?

The latest National Policy Forum consultation document on ‘Early Years, Education and Skills’ recognises there is much work to be done within the education sector yet seems to miss some key points. Our education system has taken quite a battering over the last few years and Labour must ensure that it addresses all crucial areas.

The consultation document starts by rightly acknowledging the need for quality early years provision. Since 2010 the Tories have closed 1,240 Sure Start Centres despite their promise to protect them. The Tories have also struggled to deliver on their 2015 election promise of 30 hours a week of free childcare. The NPF document asks:

What does a good early years care and education system look like? How can we ensure value for money but also that children have access to the best care possible?

How can we spread excellence in early years education so that every child, regardless of their background, is given the best possible start in life?

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How the Tories plan to cut school budgets to fund new grammars

The Tories, not content with waging their ideological war on education through the turbocharged privatisation of schools and education in general, have continued to show their true colours through their recent budget announcements. The current ‘Funding Freeze’ on education coupled with the National Funding Formula will see mainstream schools face sweeping cuts of £3bn from the overall budget. Never ones to be socially divisive in half measures, the Tories have also decided to set aside £320 million for new grammar schools and free schools. This is at a time when many state schools are in a state of disrepair, and when the National Audit Office estimates that £6.7 billion is needed for repairs and refurbishment.

Back in 2015, the Conservative Party pledged in their manifesto that they would continue to protect school funding, but as usual nothing is quite so straightforward when it comes to Tories and their promises. What it actually means for schools is that the budget will not increase with inflation leaving schools, many with budgets already ‘on the floor’, unable to cover costs. Continue reading →

Academies and Free Schools – A failed experiment in education

PowellAs of June 2015 there are over four thousand academies in England. Originally introduced by New Labour back in 2000 in order to support failing schools in socially deprived areas, academies have long since remained a controversial topic. Touted by governments as the miraculous magic answer to improving standards and loathed quite rightly by teaching unions opposed to their undemocratic nature and the neo-liberal free market approach they are constructed around. ‘Academies equals success’ has been the long repeated mantra for many years now, you would be forgiven for thinking that this is the only approach to education and LEA controlled state schools have been an all-round epic failure, yet statistically does this add up? Continue reading →

We should all share Jeremy Corbyn’s vision for education

corbyn logoRecently we have seen Jeremy Corbyn announce his proposal for a National Education Service. This proposal is based around what Jeremy sees as the fundamental and underlying principle of education which is, “A collective good that empowers society and the economy”. It is worth noting that our education system has undergone some changes these last few years, most of which have included cuts, further privatisation through academies and free schools, more curriculum alterations and a continued rise in tuition fees. It is clear that Jeremy genuinely values education and the profession, stating in a written address to The Socialist Educational Association (SEA), Labour’s only educational affiliate, that, “In a fast changing world where new technology is making new jobs and breaking old ones, and information of every kind is instantly available, we need an education system that opens minds and imagination”. In this address he also referred to teachers as “dedicated” and was scathing of the fact that teaching by some, has not been valued as a specialist skill. With such clear passion and vision for education, it is not hard to see why Jeremy has won the supporting nomination from The SEA. Continue reading →

What will become of Further Education? FE in crisis

UCUThere have been further concerns this week regards the financial sustainability and future over our FE provision, with a recent report by the NAO (National Audit Office) showing that just over a half of colleges are in deficit. The head of NAO Amyas Morse stated that, “The further education college sector is experiencing rapidly declining financial health, and lacks a clear process to inform decisions about local provision.” Last month economist and author of the Wolf Review, Professor Baroness Alison Wolf stated that the further education sector, that provides the majority of the UK’s post-secondary training, faces possible collapse.

These concerns were further echoed by Association of Colleges (AoC) Chief Executive Martin Doel, who in response to NAO report stated that “Colleges have been battered by a swathe of funding cuts over recent years and it is no surprise that their financial health has suffered as a result.” The importance of FE cannot be underestimated, around 4 million people learn within the sector each year and there are over 1,100 education and training providers including 240 FE colleges in England. Continue reading →