National campaign against grammar school plans launched at Labour Party Conference
Jeremy Corbyn said Labour members will “hit the streets” to expose the Conservative Party’s “divisive and damaging agenda”.
The newly re-elected Labour leader used his victory speech to announce a campaign for “inclusive education for all” that will start with a street demonstration on Saturday, October 1.
Mr Corbyn made a call for action to members nationally, saying: “this time next week we’re all going to hit the streets, united as a party.”
The party leader also pledged to raise taxes on businesses in order to fund a ‘national education service‘, promising employers they would see a return on the investment as the future workforce becomes more skilled. He added that if Labour won the next general election, it would introduce an arts Pupil Premium worth £160m of extra funding for schools that would help pupils learn to play instruments, drama, dance and give them regular access to cultural institutions in their local areas.
Shadow Education Secretary Angela Rayner made her first major speech at the conference, where she said the Prime Minister has “no evidence” that grammar schools boosted social mobility and called the selection of pupils “toxic”. She promised that Labour “will defeat” the plans to expand grammar schools which “entrench division and increase inequality”.
She also told Schools Week exclusively: “Half a million leaflets will be hitting the streets all over the country next Saturday as part of a national campaign day, which will include an online and off-line petition, social media campaign, video, mail shots, street stalls and a range of community events.
“We will not let Theresa May get away with segregating children by creating new grammar schools. Labour is united against her plans to provide a privileged education for the few, and a second-class education for the rest.
“Over the coming months we will work with all people of goodwill right across the country to stop this Tory segregation in its tracks.”
Education was a priority issue discussed throughout the conference, accompanied by the slogan “Education, Not Segregation” during the debates.