The Labour Party’s official manifesto for the 2019 general election has officially been launched this in Birmingham (21/11/2019). Besides the party’s school spending plans and a few other nuggets, the document is mostly made up of pledges either made in 2017 or announced since. Here’s what’s in there for schools. Note that some of the pledges apply specifically to School support staff.
These are highlighted below.
Schools policies in the manifesto
- A £10.5 billion increase in the schools budget by 2022-23
- A fairer funding formula “that leaves no child worse off”
- Maximum class sizes of 30 for all primary school pupils
- Scrapping key stage 1 and 2 SATs and baseline assessments, refocusing assessment on “supporting pupil progress”
- £175 million arts pupil premium to fund arts education for every primary school child
- A review of the curriculum to ensure that it “enriches students and covers subjects such as black history and continues to teach issues like the Holocaust”
- Bringing free schools and academies under the control of parents, teachers and local communities
- Giving schools control over budgets and day-to-day decisions, overseen by “an accountable governing body with elected representatives”
- Putting councils in charge of admissions and allowing them to open schools
- Putting NES regional offices in charge of delivery and co-ordination of schools, including peer-to-peer improvement based on the London Challenge
- A common rulebook for all schools, set out in legislation
- Replacing Ofsted with a new body “designed to drive school improvement”
- A teacher supply service to tackle wasted money going to private agencies
- Making schools accountable for the outcomes of pupils who leave their rolls
- “Proper regulation” of all education providers
- Reform of alternative provision
- Extending free school meals to all primary school children
- Encouraging breakfast clubs
- Tackling the cost of school uniforms
- The return of the school support staff negotiating body and national pay settlements for teachers
- Closing the tax loopholes that currently apply to private schools
- Charging VAT on private school fees
- Tasking the Social Justice Commission with advising on the integration of private schools and the creation of a comprehensive education system
Other policies that affect schools
- A 5 per cent pay rise for teachers, support staff and all other public sector workers in April 2020
- A network of mental health hubs and 3,500 professionals to give every child access to a school counsellor
- 4,500 more health visitors and school nurses
- A ban on fast food restaurants near school sites
