Education has always been a key Lib Dem priority. We aim to boost school funding and invest in new buildings and repair facilities. We’ll introduce a workforce strategy to address the crisis in retention, and ensure every secondary school pupil is taught by an expert in their field.
We’ll extend free school meals to every child in primary school and secondary school pupils whose families receive Universal Credit. This helps with the cost of living, but will also boost academic performance.
Ofsted inspections need reforming to give parents a clear picture of a school’s strengths while helping teachers understand how they can continue to raise standards. Qualifications at 16 and 18 must be made fit for the 21st Century, and the curriculum should include access to sports, music, drama, debating and coding.
For the second year in a row, families struggle to find places for boys at nearby secondary schools. This time the pressure has fallen mainly on Cowfold rather than Southwater, with the threat of having to travel to Burgess Hill for an education.
Schools in West Sussex are set to be hit with a £19.4m cut to spending power in 2024/25 data from the National Education Union (NEU) reveals.
Conservative MPs including Andrew Griffith and Jeremy Quin vote for a ‘concrete cover-up’ after they voted against publishing a register of at-risk schools and hospitals, whether from RAAC concrete, asbestos or any other construction problem.
