While many may not have a direct connection to schools, education concerns us all. The Labour Government seems determined to pursue detrimental changes to our education system.
Under the last Conservative Government, schools were able to set their own curriculum with safeguards to ensure children learned essential skills, including times tables, reading using phonics, grammar, punctuation, and spelling. The results were positive: between 2009 and 2022, England’s international ranking improved significantly, rising from 21st to 7th in maths, 19th to 9th in reading, and from 11th to 9th in science. In contrast, Wales, under Labour, fell in science rankings from 21st to 29th, and Scotland, under the SNP, dropped from 11th to 26th in science.
Trade unions now want to undo these reforms. The Association of School and College Leaders argues that too many exams are harmful to students, and there are calls to “decolonise” the curriculum, including from Labour MPs.
It’s not just Conservatives who see Labour’s changes as a backwards step.
The former head of Ofsted, Amanda Spielman, has said of Labour’s education policies, “It is hard to understand the motivation… the new minister is clearly giving a great deal of time and attention to the desires and demands of unions.” She continued, “unions will always defend the interests of the adults in schools over those of children… I do hope she will think again, before the damage is done.”
We have no faith that Labour’s curriculum review will put the interests of parents and children before unions. Upon entering office, Labour ministers declared there was no money, but still managed to hand out inflation-busting pay rises to highly-paid public sector workers, like train drivers.
Labour MPs have also voted against an amendment to the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill which would have ensured parents had access to materials children were being taught. This coupled with Labour’s manifesto commitment to free breakfast provision for all primary-age pupils, regardless of household income, and supervising teeth brushing in primary schools suggests Labour does not value the role of parents – or certainly thinks that the state can parent better.
Labour also claimed that charging VAT on private school fees will benefit state school pupils. In fact, many parents are withdrawing children from private schools and enrolling them in state schools, increasing pressure on the state system. Councils have already received 3,000 applications for state school places from private school pupils, and estimates suggest this number could reach 40,000. Meanwhile, a dozen private schools have shut down, and 77 independent schools have closed since Labour announced its VAT policy.
The government’s claim that the VAT policy would raise £1.5 billion for state schools was based on assumptions that fee increases would be smaller and schools would stay open. With more private school pupils entering the state system, taxpayers need to pay £8,000 extra per pupil to educate them. As a result, any funds raised from the VAT will be more than consumed by the added burden on the state system.
The Conservatives are opposed to Labour’s damaging attacks on education. While the Government continues to make things worse for pupils, your local Conservatives will continue to fight for better outcomes for children and more transparency for parents.
By Cllr Pauline Jorgensen, leader of Wokingham Conservatives
