This is Newbury Labour’s submission for Early Years, Education and Skills to advance the policy framework set out in Labour’s 2017 General Election Manifesto.

For Further information visit https://www.policyforum.labour.org.uk/commissions/education

What should a National Education Service be for and what values should it and the draft charter embody?

• Ensure all children receive an equal and fair education system.
• Supportive from Early Years through to University.
• Continued support for adults in education.

What amendments, if any, should be made to the principles outlined in the draft charter for the National Education Service?

• Ensure every nursery/preschool gives 30 free hours. Support in transitioning process.

What additional principles should be considered for the charter of the NES?

• Move away from league tables to progress attained rather than final results considering intake etc.
• Move away from grammar schools and turn into comprehensive.
• Shift from faith schools ensuring an inclusive intake.
• Level playing field- academies to receive the same funding as LA schools.
• Free school lunches and breakfasts for all children fully funded until 16.
• After school clubs/breakfast available for every school whether it is a communal club hosting many schools. Recruit students to help maintain these. Contribution to the society.
• EMA to be reintroduced.
• Sure start centres to be reintroduced.
• Disability student allowance- currently paying for this themselves. Pay for by the university.

What barriers currently exist to cooperation between education institutions, and what steps can be taken to remove them and ensure that cooperation is a central principle of our education system?

• Not answered.

Through which channels and mechanisms should the public be able to hold educational institutions to account, and how should this vary across different educational bodies?

• Schools to all become local authority.
• Ensure all schools have PTA and governing bodies appointed appropriately.

What can we do to reduce the fragmentation of the education system, and to move towards an approach that is integrated and promotes lifelong learning?

• Removal of grammar schools.
• Removal of faith schools.
• State maintained nursery rather than private nurseries.
• Academies and free schools under LA.

How do we improve the quality of early years education, in particular with relation to qualifications and staffing levels?

• Reduce the fragmentation. Ensure that all nurseries/preschools have minimal educational standard. Nurseries/preschools are very inconsistent.
• Raising standards- nurseries to have a qualified teacher to ensure that EYFS curriculum is taught.
• Investigate options to improve education standard.

How do we achieve genuine parity of esteem between academic and vocational/technical education? How do we improve outcomes for those young people who do not choose to follow what is seen as the traditional academic route?

• All schools to employ vocational teachers. Many schools do not offer a wide range.
• Wages of apprenticeships to rise.
• Consistent levelling across the board. With changes of levels schools are not consistent with their assessments.
• Investment in forest schools.

What can be done to ensure that the NES has the staff it needs, in particular with reference to the ongoing crisis in teacher recruitment and retention?

• Incentives for teachers who have been in the job for 5 years.
• University fees scrapped- funding for public sector alongside NHS.
• Targets to involve progress rather than ability.
• Routes for support staff to be able access teaching qualifications on the job. One day release for them.
• Immediately end interest rates on loans for graduates and review student loans system worth a view to turning all loans into grants in s9 ending student debt and tax finally.
• Cover supervisors who go via an agency fees.

What steps can be taken, at both the training stage and during continuing professional development (CPD), to ensure that teachers and support staff have the knowledge and resources they need to teach the whole curriculum? For instance, with reference to mandatory, age-appropriate relationships and sex education (RSE) and personal, socialand health education (PSHE).

• Experts in the field to run regional expertise compulsory inset day.
• Expert- incentive pay related.
• Ensure all schools are allocating appropriate time for these subjects including school values.