Rishi Sunak must show he supports state education

Geoff Barton commented on news that Rishi Sunak will be the new Prime Minister

Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said:

“We welcome Rishi Sunak to the role of Prime Minister and wish him every success at this difficult time for our country.

“With his Chancellor, he must now make some important decisions over the country’s finances. We implore him to remember the importance of education as an investment not only in the life chances of children and young people, but in the economic future of the country too, and to ensure that schools and colleges have the funding they need.

“Indeed, it was a General Election manifesto commitment of the Conservative Party in 2019 to ‘give the public services the resources they need, supporting our hospitals, our schools and our police’.

“However, with inflationary pressures soaring and in the absence of any additional government funding, the Institute for Fiscal Studies estimates that school funding per pupil by the end of this parliament in 2024/25 will still be three per cent below 2010 in real-terms, while college funding will be 11% lower, and school sixth form funding 27% lower.

“On the current trajectory, it is inevitable that schools and colleges will have to reduce the number of teachers and support staff they employ, and that this will mean larger class sizes, cuts to the curriculum and less individualised support for students who need extra help.

“Mr Sunak must demonstrate that he supports the state education system by funding it properly.”