Reform of education a ‘central mission’ of the next Labour Government

Reform of education a ‘central mission’ of the next Labour Government

Education ministers took departmental questions in the House of Commons this week. Shadow Education Secretary, Bridget Phillipson MP, said that reform of childcare and the education system would be central to the next Labour Government, and asked why the Government had failed to make education a priority.

The Secretary of State for Education, Gillian Keegan MP, said that education, standards, and quality are vital, and that the Conservatives had made sure that improved standards gave children the best opportunity to thrive in life. She listed several reforms, such as access to free childcare, increasing numbers of good and outstanding schools, and the introduction of T-Levels.

In January, Bridget Phillipson spoke at Schools North East’s annual Academies Conference, setting out Labour’s vision for the education system.

Bridget Phillipson went on to ask why the DfE has had to raise the risk of a school building collapsing to ‘very likely’. Gillian Keegan said that the Government takes the condition of schools very seriously, and that data on this would be published shortly.

Chair of the Education Select Committee, Robin Walker MP, asked the DfE about having a statutory register of children not in school, a long-standing recommendation of the committee. Minister for Children and Families, Claire Coutinho MP, responded. She said that the department is working on improving data to keep a track of attendance, and that the Government was committed to legislating at the earliest possible opportunity.

Robin Walker also asked about the progress being made in talks about strike action with the National Education Union. The Education Secretary said that a ‘serious offer’ had been made to the leaders of the NEU to pause strikes for negotiations on all areas in disputes.

Schools North East will continue to lobby policy makers from both political parties, through our MP roundtables and stakeholder briefings, to clarify both the Conservative’s and Labour’s plans for education. The principles in our Manifesto for North East Education will be used as a lens to examine policy announcements, as the parties prepare for the next general election.

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