If Britain is to thrive in the modern world we must continue to drive standards in schools and to open out opportunities for young people to study, to train or to do an apprenticeship.

We have driven huge improvements in education across the board. Our ambition now is to go even further to support teachers, pupils and parents to improve our schools because we believe in guaranteeing high standards for everyone – not just the few.

With Labour one-to-one tuition and catch-up support, including small group work for children who are falling behind their potential, will build on the improvements of the last decade.

We are offering parents guarantees of a good school, with good discipline properly enforced including signed contracts between the school and parents so that everybody knows their responsibilities in enforcing discipline and good behaviour. We will also introduce school report cards giving parents full information on their choice of local schools – including other parents’ views.

Labour’s record

• 42,400 more teachers and 212, 000 more support staff, including 123,000 more teaching assistants

• 4,000 schools built, rebuilt or substantially remodelled

With Labour

• A guarantee of a good education for every child, including catch-up tuition for pupils falling below their best.

• A guarantee for young people: an education or training place for those up to 18; and a job or training place for 18-24 year-olds out of work for six months.

• A Sure Start children's centre in every community offering wrap around childcare, healthcare and other services
  

Are the Tories a change you can afford?

The Conservatives have made clear they won’t protect frontline school spending, and would cut the Sure Start budget as well as our school building programme. Their plans risk taking Sure Start back to a time when it benefited fewer than 20 per cent of poorer children and could see new schools in rented office blocks or pre-fab buildings.

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