In a fit of enthusiasm, I decided to read all the main parties' education manifestos. Someone has to do it. The first to cross my desktop (sort of) was Labour's. Alerted to its launch on Thursday, I dashed to the party's website and had to fight my way through endless opportunities to donate and join in. I swear I only narrowly avoided pledging Labour the entire contents of my bank account. It has to be the worst website I've been to for some time. This is what it has to say:
What will a Labour government do for young people in Britain? Here are the seven things you need to know:
1) We’ll protect the entire education budget
We must invest in education if all young people are to have the chance to succeed. We’ll ensure the whole budget - including early years, schools and post-16 education and skills - is protected.2) We’ll restore the role of Sure Start
There are now 763 fewer Sure Start centres than when David Cameron took office. We’ll put Sure Start Centres back at the centre of communities and obliged (sic) them to provide childcare.3) We’ll deliver smaller class sizes
The Tories have spent millions on their wasteful Free Schools programme. We’ll put that money to better use to deliver smaller class sizes for five, six and seven-year olds to give children the best start.4) We’ll tackle failing schools
The standard of education a child gets still depends on where they live. We’ll change that. We’ll create new Directors of School Standards to support local schools to improve and respond to the concerns of parents.5) We’ll make sure our children are taught by qualified teachers
David Cameron scrapped the requirement for teachers to be qualified. That can’t be right. We’ll require all teachers to get qualified and build their skills throughout their careers.6) We’ll build a gold-standard vocational route through education
For decades, governments have ignored the 50 per cent of young people not going to university. We’ll change that with a gold-standard Technical Baccalaureate and an apprenticeship for every school leaver who gets the grades.7) We’ll guarantee all young people face-to-face careers advice
Young people who haven’t got the connections or the guidance to make the right choices are missing out. We’ll guarantee all young people face-to-face careers advice and support young people from school to work.
That's it, then: a curriculum free zone. And there's no sign that the efforts to have the party commit to reforming the 2002 Education Act have paid off.
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