The upcoming general election brings around many pledges from the major UK parties regarding education, but who will be the new leader of the UK government this July?
In just over two weeks, the UK public will head to the polls for the first time in nearly five years. Since the last general election in December 2019, significant changes have impacted the country, including Brexit, the coronavirus pandemic, the cost of living crisis, teacher strikes, and RAAC concrete issues.
This July 4th the election is poised to bring significant changes, particularly in education, with all political parties focusing on this area in their manifestos and choosing policies that will shape the education system for years to come.
Keep reading as we delve in deeper to unpick the party manifestos and the key issues they’re vying to address in schools.
Conservatives
Whilst Rishi Sunak may have launched his ‘bold’ manifesto, many of the policies announced weren’t new. For example, expanding strong academy trusts, delivering 60,000 more SEND places, rebuilding or refurbishing every school with RAAC, introducing the Advanced British Standard (replacing A-levels and T-levels) and creating a register of children not in school.
Although some of the policies are familiar, there have been a number of new pledges made to support Sunak and the conservatives with ‘build[ing] on the success’ of previous education reforms. These include:
- 5 new special free schools, on top of the 15 announced at the March 2024 budget
- Banning mobile phone usage in schools
- Mandating two hours of PE a week
- Banning protests outside schools
- Increasing mental health support teams to 100% of schools in England by 2030
- Allowing parents to see what their child is taught (including sensitive matters such as relationships and sex education).
Labour
Keir Starmer’s stance is pledging to ‘modernise the school curriculum’ and opting to focus on ‘reforming assessment and creating higher quality training and employment paths’ in his manifesto. Much like the Conservatives, many of the policies were previously announced, but most have been developed or progressed since then. They include:
- Free breakfast clubs for all primary pupils
- Ending tax breaks for private schools
- Providing £210 million for teachers CPD
- Making digital skills a mandatory ‘fourth pillar’ in the curriculum
- In-school counselling sessions and access to mental health professionals for all students
- Ofsted to integrate the use of AI to review absence trends and replace the single headline grade with a new report card system
- Introducing a recruitment fund for 6,500 vacancies.
Liberal Democrats
Ed Davey’s manifesto proposes:
- Spending nearly £2 billion a year on school buildings
- Increasing school funding above inflation
- Recognising art subjects in the EBacc
- Reforming Ofsted and overhauling the curriculum
- Specialist teachers in secondary subjects
- Expanding extracurricular activities
- A mental health professional in every school
- Introducing a cabinet minister for children and young people.
Have you decided how you will vote this general election? Do you believe there are fundamental policies to improving schools that are missing? We’d love to hear your opinion.
Whatever the outcome on July 4th, SupplyWell remains committed to creating a fairer future in education, supporting educators, and addressing last-minute absences in schools.