The Labour Party’s official manifesto for the 2017 general election has officially been launched this morning at Bradford University.
You can read all the nerdy details in our analysis here.
Schools policies in the Labour manifesto
1. Reduce class sizes to less than 30 for 5, 6 and 7-year-olds
2. Introduce free school meals for all primary school children. This would be paid for by removing VAT exemption on private school fees
3. Abandon baseline tests and review SATs
4. End the public sector pay cap, which affects teachers and other school staff
5. Give teachers “more direct involvement” in the curriculum
6. Reduce “monitoring and bureaucracy”
7. Consult on teacher sabbaticals
8. Reintroduce the Schools Support Staff Negogiating Body and national pay settlement for teachers (this has been amended from the national pay bargaining pledge in the leaked version)
9. Undo requirement for schools to pay the apprenticeship levy
10. Extend school-based counselling to all schools, costing £90 million a year
11. Deliver a “SEND strategy based on inclusivity” and increase SEND teacher training
Other policies that have an impact on schools
1. Extend the government’s 30 hours of free childcare policy to all two-year-olds, not just those whose parents are working
2. Review the English Baccalaureate subjects and consider the inclusion of arts subjects
3. Introduce arts pupil premium to every primary school in England
4. Bring funding for 16 to 18-year-olds in line with Key Stage 4 baselines
5. Restore the Education Maintenance Allowance for 16 to 18-year-olds
6. New £250m children’s health fund to help increase number of school nurses
7. Launch a creative careers advice campaign in schools
Four policy foundations
Four policy “foundations” are also important in the education section of the manifesto.
They state that the party will:
- Make sure schools are “properly” resourced – which involves “reversing” cuts and giving schools the “resources they need”, and phased removal of asbestos
- Encourage “cooperation and strong leadership across schools”
- Ensure all schools are “democratically accountable”, including “appropriate controls to see that they serve the public interest and their local communities”. Require joined-up admissions policies
- Enable every child to find their “learning path” through “wide choice of courses and qualifications”
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