Labour conference: Starmer promises to launch a 'National Excellence Programme' for education

Even before the pandemic, he said, 200,000 children grew up in areas with not a single primary school rated as good or outstanding.

He said a Labour government would focus on improving the prospects of the 40 per cent of young people who leave compulsory education without essential qualifications.

In a reference to Tony Blair’s ‘education, education, education’ slogan he said, ‘Education is so important I am tempted to say it three times. When you don’t invest in young people the whole nation suffers and the less fortunate are left behind.'

He added, 'I want every parent in the country to be able to send their child to a great state school.

'On top of that, 40 per cent of young people leave compulsory education without essential qualifications. What does that say about their future? We will not put up with that.

'That is why Labour will launch the most ambitious school improvement plan ever.'

Highlighting the Government’s failures on education during the pandemic he said, ‘Children on free school meals went hungry.

‘There was U-turn after U-turn on school closures. The attainment gap between rich and poor grew. The government asked Kevan Collins, a recognised expert in the field to be their “recovery Tsar”. He told them what to do but they said no. When he saw the government’s plans, which he described as “feeble” Mr Collins had no option but to resign. If you can’t level up our children. You’re not serious about levelling up at all.’

Starmer also promised to reform Ofsted to focus on supporting struggling schools.

In a wide-ranging speech, Starmer also said that child poverty figures were one million lower under the last Labour government.

While sector organisations welcomed the focus on education and improving children’s lives by ‘levelling up’, early years organisations said they were disappointed that the early years was not mentioned explicitly.

Purnima Tanuku, chief executive of the National Day Nurseries Association (NDNA), said, ‘While we welcome Labour leader Keir Starmer’s passion for children’s education, it is disappointing that he passed over early years, the foundation for all children’s learning.

‘Money invested in a child’s first few influential years saves pounds in their later life and sets them up for their lifelong learning journeys. Research overwhelmingly shows that high quality early education and care is the best way to reduce the attainment gap and support the most disadvantaged children to reach their potential.

‘Keir said he is dedicated to reducing the attainment gap and levelling up, so he must start with lobbying for sufficient investment in early years education. His Schools Improvement Plan must start with pre-school years - the “foundation for an economy that works” must start from infanthood.’

Neil Leitch, Early Years Alliance chief executive, said, ‘While supporting every child to achieve their full potential is a positive ambition, it is extremely disappointing that a speech so strong on educational reforms fails to mention the crucial early years.

‘Research consistently shows the first five years of a child’s life to be fundamental to their long-term learning and development, but the Labour leader’s words today suggest he thinks education both begins and ends in school.

‘With early years providers across the country in dire financial straits, and young children still in need of support to recover from lost learning during the pandemic, Labour must ensure any education reforms it puts forward have support for the early years at their centre.’

Details of the National Excellence Programme, released before the speech, said that it would also include recruiting thousands of new teachers to address vacancies and skills gaps across the profession, and providing teachers and headteachers with continuing professional development and leadership skills training.

Teaching unions also welcomed the priority given to education in the Labour leader’s speech.

Paul Whiteman, general secretary of school leaders' union the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT), said, ‘It is hugely welcome to hear education take such a prominent place in Keir Starmer’s speech today. Politicians of all parties need to make education a much higher priority than it has been during the pandemic.

'School leadership is one of the toughest jobs in the public sector, so it is absolutely right that we value and invest in the on-going development and support of leaders.'

Dr Mary Bousted, joint general secretary of the National Education Union, said, ‘Labour have understood that any Government serious about education needs both a strategy to reduce child poverty and a strategy on boosting schools' capacity to serve every local child.

'Currently a third of teachers leave the profession within five years; so it is right that Labour plans to increase recruitment. If, however, they are serious about also increasing opportunities for continual professional learning for those already in the profession, the plan must also address the amount and intensity of workload faced by teachers.'