In a press release earlier this week East Hampshire’s Conservative candidate Damian Hinds has said he regrets that there has not been more focus on education in the national media coverage of the election campaign and manifestos.
Damian said: “I am incredibly proud of East Hampshire’s schools, which achieve results above the national average. This is down to a fantastic cohort of dedicated teachers, hardworking students and supportive parents. Nine in ten of our schools in East Hampshire are now rated Good or Outstanding by OFSTED.
“Education has always been my first passion and it has been a privilege to work with teachers and school leaders, both as a government minister and as a back-bencher on the Education Select Committee, and as founder of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Social Mobility. Whoever is in government after the election, if I am re-elected I will continue to advocate for all that education can achieve.”
So far, the education issue that has had most coverage is Labour’s plan to tax independent education. Damian believes this will be damaging – both the effect on families locally with children in independent schools, and the strain on state schools from the number of families – which cannot at this stage be known – who will move children into the state sector.
But, says Damian: “If there is a Labour government, there are also much wider risks in education that will affect all children.”
There have been dramatic improvements in English schools’ results since 2010. The OECD conducts international comparisons – the “PISA” study – between countries, setting the same tests to children in their own language. When Labour were last in government, England fell down these tables, even as our own domestic measurement made it appear things were improving. Since 2010, we have been climbing the rankings. In maths, England rose from 27th in the world in 2009 to 11th at the latest results. In primary schools at the latest survey, England’s schoolchildren were ranked top readers in the Western World.
This is thanks to our brilliant teachers. But it is also supported by programmes like Phonics and Maths Mastery, a knowledge-rich curriculum and school autonomy through Academies.
The Labour administration in Wales, which has responsibility for education there, rejected our approach, opting instead for a “progressive” curriculum. Sadly, while England has been rising up the rankings, Wales has fallen sharply.
Damian Hinds says: “Education funding, at £60bn a year, is at record levels, and we’ve got the highest number ever of teachers and teaching assistants. But it isn’t only about money. It is also about the approach to schooling and using evidence-based approaches.”
In their manifesto, Labour promise a “review” of the curriculum, and “new regional teams” to drive outcomes.
Conservatives want to extend the progress made and build on it with the “Advanced British Standard” that would see young people study a wider range of subjects up to age 18, and break down the artificial divide between academic and vocational subjects.
** Damian Hinds was Secretary of State for Education from January 2018 to July 2019 and has been Schools Minister since November 2023.
