Make no mistake, there are some progressive intentions behind this week’s budget, as the Starmer government sets out to address the UK economy’s miserable performance since the financial crash, the rapid decline of public services and disintegrating infrastructure. Labour plans a £70 billion increase in public spending, with over £20 billion for the NHS, just … Continue reading Does the Reeves budget take things forward?
Tag: Education
Gordon Brown won’t save the T-levels.
Within a few days of Labour coming to office, Gordon Brown has intervened in the debate about T-levels. https://www.theguardian.com/politics/article/2024/jul/16/gordon-brown-calls-on-ministers-not-to-scrap-t-level-vocational-qualification This site has continued to document the issues that surround the Ts (see the categories menu below right). T-levels originate from a 2016 report from Lord Sainsbury and a subsequent White Paper. Since then, they have … Continue reading Gordon Brown won’t save the T-levels.
Labour and the private schools
Labour’s election manifesto contained few promises for education. Probably most eye-catching has been its plan to impose VAT on private school fees in England (and to remove the exemption from business rates). Schools don't have to pass these increases onto parents and pupils with special needs statements will be exempt. The traditional image of the … Continue reading Labour and the private schools
No repeat of ‘education, education, education’ under a Starmer government
There’ll be no repeat of Tony Blair’s ‘education, education, education’ by a Starmer government. For Blair and Gordon Brown ‘education’ became a key economic policy. Getting ‘qualified’ would, it was argued, sharpen people’s ability to take advantage of opportunities in the new global economy, whereas those who didn’t would be left behind. In other words, … Continue reading No repeat of ‘education, education, education’ under a Starmer government
Young people and wellbeing : does education damage your health?
Despite the economy being in ‘technical’ recession (though this is increasingly expected to be ‘mild’) the labour market continues to boom. With the jobless rate at under 4%, some Tories are pointing to ‘full-employment’ – a term used to describe the prosperous years of the post-war period. Indeed, labour shortages have pushed up wage levels … Continue reading Young people and wellbeing : does education damage your health?
