ELECTION 2010

Plaid Cymru calls for huge boost in funding for Wales

boost public services, including education. Education is a devolved issue

by Greg Lewis

Plaid Cymru wants whoever wins the election to pledge an additional £300 million to Wales. The money would be used to

in Wales, being managed by the National Assembly, but Wales’s nationalist party is calling for reform of the funding formula which calculates how much cash Wales receives. It is warning that under-fund-

ing from Westminster could reach £8.5 billion over the next decade. Under the current formula Wales

Grammar debate heads Northern Ireland campaign

Secondary education and whether Northern Ireland can continue to maintain parallel grammar and non-grammar systems are issues playing a major role in the General Election. The ending of the state-spon-

sored 11-plus continues to be contentious, with parties still split along sectarian lines; Unionists in favour of some form of selection by ability, but Nationalists against. Sinn Fein is promising “equal-

ity in education” which the party says “means an end to punitive child testing”. It was Sinn Fein’s Caitriona Ruane, the current assem- bly education minister, that oversaw the end of the 11-plus in a bid to see all post-primary schools open their doors to children of all abilities. Ms Ruane has been select-

ed by her party to run in South Down, but even if she pulls off a shock win she is likely to remain in office at Stormont. The Social Democratic and

Labour Party says it is working towards a system focused not just

on exams, but also on a rounded education for our children and an end to academic selection. Teachers’ unions are, mean-

while, putting pressure on candi- dates. The Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL) is sending copies of its “education prospectus” to all Parliamentary candidates. ATL senior vice president,

Andy Brown, says the future shape of education will play a significant part in the decisions of voters. He said: “We believe that it is time to cut through the party- political divisions in education and start listening to those in the know – the education staff work- ing in our schools and colleges.” On the issue of post-primary

transfer, Mr Brown accepts there is entrenched division. He said: “Public debate has been polemi- cal, focused on institutions rather than children and appears unlike- ly to promote an educationally agreed system. Our call to politi- cians is for an agreed system. We need a deal on education.”

receives £15 billion each year. But the recent Holtham Commission found Wales was £300 million a year under-funded according to its need. Plaid leader, Ieuan Wyn Jones, said: “A fair funding for- mula for Wales will be high on our agenda, so that we can protect our schools and hospitals from the cuts in public spending.” The party is calling for the adop-

tion of the recommendations from the independent commission on

funding and finance in Wales, to ensure the country gets a fairer deal. And it believes it could have more power than ever in London, if as some pollsters predict, the election returns a hung Parliament. Under the banner of Educating

the Nation in its party manifesto, Plaid also commits itself to devel- oping and enhancing the Welsh Baccalaureate, opposing Foundation Schools in Wales and supporting the introduction of a compulsory

modern language GCSE in sec- ondary schools. It is calling for a review of the national curriculum for Wales. The party is aiming to increase

its number of MPs from three to five, and Mr Jones said the election was being fought on the “values and priorities” of addressing spending cuts against “the worst financial and economic crisis for over 60 years”. Elsewhere, Alex Salmond, first minister in Scotland, pledged to form

a Westminster alliance between the SNP and Plaid to “secure the best possible deal for our nations”. Mr Salmond, who was due to

launch his party’s election manifes- to on Tuesday (April 20) as SecEd went to press, said the “London parties” represented a “real threat” to spending on public services. He added: “Labour and Tories

now deeply threaten cherished poli- cies like free personal care, free edu- cation and community policing.”

Joel, 17, quizzes party leaders during historic televised debate

Education thrust itself to the forefront of the General Election battle last week as the UK’s first- ever televised leadership debate was broadcast. Among those asking questions

to the Labour, Conservative and Liberal Democrat leaders was Joel Weiner, a 17-year-old secondary school student from London. He wanted to know their plans for the education system, claiming he felt “over-examined and under-taught”. Labour leader Gordon Brown

said he wanted to see education improve “as it has done over the last few years”, but conceded that the exam system needed to be looked at. He said: “As far as grades and

standards are concerned, I myself believe in the highest of standards. I believe if we don’t search for the highest of standards, then we will not in the end get the best pupils coming out of our schools. “Yes, we’ve got to look at the

different types of exams and we will do so. But I think it’s important to realise we’re in this new world where we are competing with Asia, as well as America and Europe and

our young people have got to have the grades, the qualifications to be able to meet the best in the world.” David Cameron,

the

Conservative leader, said he had “every sympathy” with Joel, add- ing it was just as important to open young minds and get them excited about education as it was to get good grades. He continued: “I think there is

a danger that our education system has become terribly bureaucratic.

We send 4,000 pages of information to schools every year. We spend £300 million on educational quan- gos. We’re not getting enough to the frontline, following the child into the school.” Nick Clegg, leader of the Liberal

Democrats, said he could under- stand why youngsters felt they were constantly having to “jump through hoops”. He said: “The symptoms are everywhere. Our national curricu-

lum is 600 pages. The curriculum in Sweden, which has generally got a fairly good education system, is 16 pages. I just read the other day that headteachers now, by email over the last year, have received – get this – 4,000 pages of instructions from on high from Whitehall. “This is crazy. We’ve got to let

headteachers teach, we’ve got to let teachers teach. We’ve got to re-instill a sense of enthusiasm and creativity in the way that you are taught.”

Unions respond as Liberals and Tories launch manifestos

The Liberal Democrats and the Conservatives both launched their election manifestos last week. Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg set

out their policies at an event in the city of London, where he re- iterated their plans to introduce a £2.5 billion “pupil premium” to give financial help to schools that cater for disadvantaged pupils. The manifesto says the money

could be used to reduce class sizes or offer extra one-to-one tuition. The party also said that it would scrap the Qualifications and Curriculum Development Agency, slim down the national curriculum, give 14 to

19-year-olds the right to study at a college, and abolish plans to raise the school leaving age to 18. Under the Lib Dems, academies

would be replaced by “sponsor- managed schools” – which would be accountable to local authorities rather than central government. Mr Clegg said: “Under the

Liberal Democrats, there will be more money in your local school to give your children the individual attention they need to thrive, cutting class sizes and providing more one- to-one tuition.” Meanwhile, Conservative leader David Cameron launched

his party’s manifesto at Battersea Power Station in London where he confirmed his commitment to “free schools”, which would allow groups of parents to set up their own schools. He also re-stated his party’s com-

mitment to raising the entry require- ments for the teaching profession to a 2:2 degree, allowing secondary schools to get league table points if pupils study international GCSEs, and allowing all schools the oppor- tunity to become academies. In launching the Tory manifesto,

Mr Cameron said: “It is an invita- tion to every parent who wants a

better education for their child: we’ll give you the power to get a good new school in your community.” Last week, Mr Cameron also

launched the Conservative’s “pub- lic sector manifesto”, which con- firmed the party’s intention to allow groups of teachers to run their own schools. He said: “We will massive-

ly scale back all the targets and bureaucracy that drives (public sec- tor workers) mad. And we will give them the right to set up employee co-operatives, bid to take over serv- ices and be their own boss. Just think what this all means. Teachers

who secure better results will be better rewarded.” Unions were quick to react to

both manifestos, with Christine Blower, general secretary of the National Union of Teachers, prais- ing the Lib Dem’s focus on “profes- sional autonomy for teachers”. However, Chris Keates, general

secretary of the NASUWT, added: “The proposal to allow every 14- year-old the right to choose to attend college is puzzling. There is a risk of placing too much emphasis on the place where a pupil is edu- cated rather than the nature of the curriculum they receive.”

Turning to the Tories, Ms Keates

praised their “rhetoric of opportuni- ties and high standards”. However, she criticised free schools, claiming that freedom “comes at the high price of abandoning national pay and conditions of service”. Ms Blower added: “Their belief

that unfettered competition drives up school standards is reliant on surplus places. This will cause havoc for headteachers and gover- nors who will then be expected to plan year-on-year efficiencies.” The Labour manifesto launch

was covered in SecEd last week. For more, visit www.sec-ed.co.uk

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SecEd • April 22 2010

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