Labour Manifesto: Education
Continuing a more detailed look at the Labour Manifesto we highlight our provisions for a better and fairer education system: Fairer funding for schools with a high intake of students from more deprived families, no pupil left behind and a continued emphasis on the importance of Sure Start.
Frontline spending on Sure Start will continue to increase under Labour – it is such an important institution that we must ensure that it continues to flourish. Labour is committed to extending and improving the services offered by Sure Start, expanding education for under fives at children’s centres.
Labour is leading the way in pledging to provide greater flexibility in the provision of childcare, making sure that parents have the options that suit them.
Labour has pledged to extend the number of free early learning places to two-year olds from disadvantaged families, a step on the way to creating universal free childcare for this age group.
Although the number of underachieving schools has decreased over the last 13 years, Labour will not tolerate any schools that are not providing the best possible education for our children.
Struggling schools will be taken over by local school leaders, creating school groups and federations and where parents are concerned about a school’s leadership they will be able to ballot for a change in leadership. The introduction of school report cards will give parents full information about schools’ parental satisfaction levels, behaviour records and students progress.
Labour will ensure that no child is left behind in education. The commitment to giving disadvantaged families free access to broadband, ensuring that no child’s education suffers because of disadvantage. Labour will expand specialist teachers to help children with dyslexia and increase teacher training for children with autism.
Finally, free school meals will be extended to include a further 500,000 primary school children from families on low incomes and universal free school meals for primary children are being piloted in areas across the country.
If you are interested in reading the manifesto in more details then you can download it from the education manifesto page of the Labour Party website.
