The best education for our children - Labour's schools policy
Issued : Friday 18 May, 2007
What is education for? In its broadest sense, education is the process through which we learn about the world - how it functions, how to navigate it, how to engage with it, and how we can contribute to it.
Download Now (filesize - 926k)
Summary
If we want to secure a bright future for our children, it is time that we built education around their needs, rather than the perceived limits of the system. A holistic education that teaches students how to make reasoned choices, how to cope with change, how to communicate with others and what values they can choose to live their lives by can give young people the tools they need to make the most of themselves and, by extension, the society they live in.
Our schools policy is a blueprint for how the Labour Party believes this kind of education should be delivered. We need to get the basic elements right: more schools, more money for schools and more effective teaching of literacy and numeracy. But equally as important, we need schools and staff that are an inspiration to pupils, teachers and parents alike. We need well-resourced support services so that no child is allowed to slip through the net. And we need a new curriculum at second level that encourages learning for its own sake, and the formation of a well-rounded, self-aware young person educated for the challenges of the future.
These are the characteristics of a truly excellent education system, and an education system we are committed to creating.
