Labour Education Manifesto will help protect Rural Schools in Northumberland lets get them a fairer

In recent weeks Headteachers across Northumberland have released statements about the impact Tory CUTS are having on Schools already and that's before the potential impact of the new Funding Formula. We have also had schools in Hexham writing to parents asking for donations for basic equipment.

This funding formula if they implement it as the plan will see an estimated £16million out of the budgets across Northumberland resulting in the potential closure of Rural Schools who are already struggling.

We are promising to protect school budgets, this will give schools the opportunity to refocus from worrying about finance to caring for and educating children.

We need strong and decisive leadership on schools without meddeling and budget cuts.

The Grammar School project and that of FREE Schools should be scrapped and funds redirected to the schools we already have.

In Northumberland the Labour Administration at County Hall from 2013-2017 had one of the biggest School Capital Build programmes that invested in the future of our children, but schools need the allocated funds to operate in the best way they can and help children achieve.

Below is the Labour Party Manifesto for Education.

Education manifesto. What will a Labour government do for young people in Britain?

Here are the seven things you need to know: 1) We’ll protect the entire education budget We must invest in education if all young people are to have the chance to succeed. We’ll ensure the whole budget - including early years, schools and post-16 education and skills - is protected. 2) We’ll restore the role of Sure Start There are now 763 fewer Sure Start centres than when David Cameron took office. We’ll put Sure Start Centres back at the centre of communities and obliged them to provide childcare. 3) We’ll deliver smaller class sizes The Tories have spent millions on their wasteful Free Schools programme. We’ll put that money to better use to deliver smaller class sizes for five, six and seven-year olds to give children the best start. 4) We’ll tackle failing schools The standard of education a child gets still depends on where they live. We’ll change that. We’ll create new Directors of School Standards to support local schools to improve and respond to the concerns of parents. 5) We’ll make sure our children are taught by qualified teachers David Cameron scrapped the requirement for teachers to be qualified. That can’t be right. We’ll require all teachers to get qualified and build their skills throughout their careers. 6) We’ll build a gold-standard vocational route through education For decades, governments have ignored the 50 per cent of young people not going to university. We’ll change that with a gold-standard Technical Baccalaureate and an apprenticeship for every school leaver who gets the grades. 7) We’ll guarantee all young people face-to-face careers advice Young people who haven’t got the connections or the guidance to make the right choices are missing out. We’ll guarantee all young people face-to-face careers advice and support young people from school to work.