‘Education, education, education’ was a priority for the previous Labour government. Under Blair, spending neared record levels. Reaching almost £120 billion by 2010 - up from £70 billion in 1997, education spending constituted 5.4% of GDP, its highest since the mid-1970s. The ‘austerity’ programme imposed by the Tories lead to a sharp decline. Expressed as … Continue reading Education spending if Labour wins next time.
Category: funding
Teachers back on strike
Thousands of teachers, members of the National Education Union in England and Wales have joined up to half a million other public sector workers taking strike action. (EIS members in Scotland have already started a programme of industrial action.) 70,000 UCU members in over 100 universities, were also due to be on strike. This has … Continue reading Teachers back on strike
Small state Tories?
Once again, a new Tory Prime Minister and Chancellor are banging on about the need for a smaller state. The modern-day reality is that this is pure fantasy. If public spending as a proportion of GDP is used as a bench mark, then as the charts below show, the UK has continued to fall well … Continue reading Small state Tories?
Education’s magic money tree?
After being told there's no 'magic money tree', suddenly there's lots of money around. After years of cutbacks, and even before the Chancellor announced his ‘Spending Review’, Boris Johnson has promised billions for education. While Labour politicians and the authoritative Institute of Fiscal Studies have been quick to point out Johnson’s £14 billion over three … Continue reading Education’s magic money tree?
Education, Economy and Society 