The next government needs to “reverse education cuts” in order to address a school funding “crisis”, the largest education union has said.
Launching its ”manifesto for education” today, the NEU teaching union is calling for the next government to increase education spending to 5 per cent of GDP.
As the general election approaches on 4 July, the NEU has outlined 10 critical policy areas for the incoming government to address.
The union has said that it will campaign on these issues in the run-up to the election, which will include “engaging members, parents and the wider community to ask for their support”.
NEU ‘seeking serious commitments’
Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the NEU, said: “Through years of underfunding, schools have been forced to narrow the education experience of children just to balance the books.”
“A seemingly permanent recruitment and retention crisis is the result of failure to address workload and real terms pay cuts over many years,” he added.
However, he warned that these issues are “just the tip of the iceberg”.
The NEU is “not affiliated to any political party and we do not tell members which way to vote”, he said. “But we are seeking serious commitments from the major parties on education, and we call them out when they fall short.”
Here are the 10 policy areas the union has identified as in need of “urgent attention” from the next government.
1. Reverse education spending cuts
In its manifesto for education, the NEU warns that the state of school funding is in “crisis”.
The warning comes after the Institute for Fiscal Studies confirmed that schools would need £3.2 billion in extra funding to restore purchasing power lost since 2010.
Concerns about funding have been especially voiced by primary leaders, according to polling by the National Foundation for Educational Research.
Primary schools are also predicted to be hit by a £1 billion loss in funding due to falling pupil numbers.
Calls for greater funding have also been made by multi-academy trusts, with leaders pushing for major funding reform.
2. Free school meals for all pupils
The NEU is also calling for the next government to guarantee “a free, nutritious school lunch for every pupil”.
Eight in 10 school staff have reported that they are diverted by their job to deal with the effects of child poverty.
Currently, all pupils in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 are eligible for free school meals. But for older pupils in England, families receiving universal credit must earn below £7,400 a year before benefits and after tax to qualify for free school meals.
Both Labour and the Liberal Democrats have pledged to extend free school meals to all pupils if elected.
3. An engaging and inclusive curriculum
The NEU warns that the school curriculum “has been narrowed by underfunding and constrained by government performance targets in ‘core’ subjects”.
“Teachers are finding it more and more challenging to engage young people in their learning,” the manifesto says.
It calls for an “engaging and inclusive curriculum, which embeds “antiracism and guarantees all pupils access to a broad range of subjects, including the arts and PE”.
Labour has promised a curriculum review it if comes to power.
4. End to mandatory primary testing
Another key manifesto policy from the NEU is an end to government testing in primary schools - this includes Sats, which Year 6 pupils sat last month.
Earlier this year, Tes revealed that key stage 2 teachers are increasingly worried about the mental wellbeing and behaviour of their Year 6 cohort.
The union is also calling for an overhaul of the secondary exam assessment, which it warns is ”unnecessarily high stakes”, does not support learning or progression “and is not preparing students for the future”.
5. Reform SEND support
Appropriate special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) support needs to be provided quickly, the NEU says, and “without unnecessary bureaucracy”.
“Schools do not have the resources to offer much support without going through the lengthy education, health and care plan (EHCP) process,” the manifesto says.
Tes has previously reported on long wait times for EHCPs, and education secretary Gillian Keegan has acknowledged the SEND system is not working well “for anyone”.
6. Make teacher pay competitive to fix recruitment crisis
Improving teacher pay is vital to fix recruitment and retention, the NEU warns.
The union’s calls come after the government confirmed there would be no decision on teacher pay until after the general election.
Labour has made no commitment on teacher pay.
7. Abolish Ofsted for ‘supportive system’
The teaching union also demands that the next government abolish Ofsted, and replace it with a “collaborative and supportive system, focused on giving good advice and feedback to schools”.
Ofsted is currently carrying out its Big Listen project, which seeks views from teachers, parents and children on how the watchdog can reform the inspection system.
However, the project has been criticised for not consulting the sector on removing single-word judgements, which became central to calls for reform after headteacher Ruth Perry took her own life after an Ofsted inspection downgraded her school to “inadequate” last year.
8. Consult teachers on workload solutions
The NEU urges politicians to keep teachers, leaders and school staff in the profession by asking it how to tackle unmanageable workloads.
More than six in 10 teachers say they lack a manageable workload, according to the latest Tes Wellbeing Survey - although this is a fall on the 68 per cent who reported this in 2022.
Final recommendations from the workload task force, which is aimed at tackling increasing concerns over teacher stress, will not be published until the summer term, Ms Keegan told schools earlier this year.
9. Increase non-teaching time for CPD
The manifesto further calls for a boost in non-teaching time, which should be used for “professional development, collaboration and planning, especially for early career teachers”, it says.
10. Tighter regulation of social media companies
The final policy recommendation from the NEU is to put stronger regulations on social media companies, ”to protect children from online harm and prioritise their welfare”.
Experts have previously told MPs that schools need more support to effectively teach children about online safety.
The DfE declined to comment.
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