Nick Clegg launches new education policy at Islington school

4.10.00pm GMT Fri 6th Feb 2009

Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg MP at New North Community School in Islington

Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg MP joined council leader James Kempton, local Parliamentary candidate Bridget Fox, and Islington teachers to launch the new Liberal Democrat education policy in one of Islington's flagship primary schools.

Nick Clegg joined children at New North Community School for an English lesson and met with teachers before publicly launching the new national policy paper.

Key new Lib Dem policies include:

• Reducing class sizes in Primary schools to 15.

• Scrapping the National Curriculum and replacing it with a 20-page Minimum Curriculum, to let schools be more innovative and to allow teachers to teach.

• Introducing a 'Pupil Premium' to provide extra cash for schools with disadvantaged children - and to allow schools themselves to decide how to use the extra funding to attract the best teachers, cut class sizes, or fund more one-to-one lessons.

Under the plans, Islington schools would get an extra £6 million to spend on extra support for disadvantaged pupils.

Nick Clegg said:

"The enormous gap that still exists in Britain today between the performance of our most disadvantaged children and those from richer families is an outrage. The Liberal Democrats believe that every child should be entitled to the best possible education no matter what their background is.

"Education is fundamental to a free society, to social mobility and to delivering opportunities for every child and it will be one of our biggest priorities in the next General Election."

Nick Clegg with leader of Islington council James Kempton

Islington council leader James Kempton, who was the driving force behind the national policy, commented:

"Our campaign to make Islington's schools better has taught me one important lesson - pupils need the best quality teachers money can buy. And that best teachers need to be freed up from the constant meddling and interference from Government ministers and bureaucrats in Whitehall.

"We are putting forward many new ideas to ensure all young people get the best start in life. The extra cash will make a real difference in our local schools. As the eighth most deprived borough in the country, Islington would benefit from the extra cash boost from the Liberal Democrats.

"Cutting class sizes to just 16 children will go a long way to ensuring that the many thousands of local children who go to local schools have as good a start in life as those who are educated privately."

Bridget Fox, the Liberal Democrat Parliamentary candidate for Islington South and Finsbury, added:

"Gordon Brown's so-called 'baby bonds', which just hand £250 to 18 year olds, make no difference to children today, but are costing the country hundreds of millions. Lib Dems want to stop wasting that money and put it to work now, ensuring all our local kids can benefit today when it will really make a difference. Young people in Islington deserve the best start in life. As a school governor I know the difference that more time with good teachers can make to every child. That's why I'm backing these radical plans to cut primary class sizes."

The full policy paper is online at:

http://www.libdems.org.uk/assets/0001/0387/89_-_Equity_and_Excellence.pdf