Labour’s Shadow Education Secretary has set out her plans for education, telling the Northern Echo the government has ‘failed’ to support young people.
Speaking on A Level Results Day the Shadow Education Secretary listed her priorities and what she would do differently to the Conservative government.
Ending the tax break on private schools, introducing a recovery plans and prioritising education were all top of the bill for the Labour Shadow Secretary and Houghton & Sunderland South MP.
Read more: A Level Results Day LIVE: North East and North Yorkshire results
Ms Phillipson told The Northern Echo: “I think there has been a failure on the government’s part to support our young people, we know that fewer than one in five have received any catch-up support so our teachers and support staff have done a really brilliant job.”
“We would prioritise education, for the most part that has not been the case over the last twelve years and put in place a recovery plan to make up for the lost learning and development.
“We would be making different choices about how we fund our education system. Labour would end the tax breaks that private schools enjoy – that would raise £1.7bn and we would put that money into helping all our young people and children get the best start so.”
Phillipson was speaking at King James I Academy in Bishop Auckland as students opened their A-Level results.
She added: “I know how hard our young people have worked I have been delighted to congratulate some of them today who have overcome really serious disruption but have worked really hard and have been supported by their teachers.”
98.6% of students in the North East passed their A-Level qualifications this year, down on 99.7% last year when grades were based on teacher-assessments after exams were cancelled for the second year due to Covid.
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30.8% of students in the region were awarded the top A* and A grades, down on 39.2% last year but up nearly 8 percentage points on the last exam season in 2019.
The Shadow Education Secretary also responded to reports earlier this week that some schools may be forced to drop down to three-day weeks due to rising cost pressures.
Ms Phillipson added: “I have heard from heads just how concerned they are about making their budgets stretch because of the rising pressures we have been seeing, but that was there before, they were already under high pressure even before the energy price rise. That’s why we need to look at how we’re funding education.”
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