Here is what Labour in power must do to make our education system work for all

“A thin document that we believe represents a missed opportunity in many ways.” Such was the frustration of Lord Watson when responding to the government’s recent schools white paper earlier this year. For me, the Tories’ disregard for young people is evidenced in its neglect of the education system. Since 2010, we’ve seen record teacher shortages, record levels of exclusions from schools and repeated and inadequate funding settlements.

The white paper tinkered around the edges of a clearly broken system that is harming the outcomes of young people. Our country’s future success is clearly dependent on today’s schoolchildren. Why has there been so little imagination or commitment from the government in the last decade?

I remain immensely grateful for my state school education. I went to school in the area in which I have lived all my life and am currently seeking to represent in parliament. Today, I want the same state education for my children so they too can learn with the people that make our London borough so great.

Yet will they share a similar experience to mine? Such is my concern when I see the rapidly increasing pressures on pupils, teachers and the school system. We are beyond tinkering. This is why I’ve proposed policies that will not just end this crisis, but improve outcomes for children from all walks of life. A genuine equality of opportunity.

Here’s what a Labour government must do for our education system to work for all:

Free school meals for all pupils

I was delighted to see Bridget Phillipson announce the policy of breakfast clubs at every primary school at Labour conference. Yet thanks to the legacy of a dozen years of Tory austerity (perhaps to be extended under new Chancellor Jeremy Hunt) food poverty is at shocking levels. No child can learn on a rumbling stomach. This is why I propose we go even further and offer free school meals to all.

End tax exemptions for fee-paying schools 

For me, this is an open goal at a time when we need better management of public finances. It is estimated this tax break costs more than £1bn and is simply a tax cut for the very wealthy. This is money that would be welcomed if used as an investment in providing a higher quality education for all.

Improve worker’s rights in schools

Teaching is a vital and caring profession. It should be one of the most rewarding jobs available. Instead, we find many teachers are underpaid and unhappy. 44% plan to quit within the next five years according to the National Education Union.

Workers’ rights have always been a core priority for me and are especially relevant in education. We need full recognition of trade unions by all schools. Union members should be able to regularly meet with management on school premises. It should also be ensured that all schools follow the terms and conditions set by the Department for Education in negotiation with teaching unions.

An independent Children’s Data Trust 

Data science may not be everyone’s highest priority, but I believe it’s central to driving change. We are hampered by a partial picture of what’s happening in our schools because the data is patchy.

An independently governed Children’s Data Trust would ensure that local authorities get the data they need and enable schools’ data to be aggregated. Better information would help us tackle systemic inequalities in our school system, such as the much higher likelihood pupils will be excluded if they are a boy from the Black Caribbean or Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities.

I strongly believe these four priorities are the starting point for a strong policy package for education, though there is lots more we must look at on governance, Ofsted, exclusions and early years.

A frequent rebuttal to such plans is: “What is the long-term cost?” But there is a long-term cost to society when we fail to support education. Top quality schooling should be attainable for every child. Parents need to know their child’s school is safe, fun and opens up a world of opportunities. Needs must be met no matter how challenging.

The Tories are clean out of ideas on how to achieve this. Instead of solutions, the government resorts to gimmicks such as plans to expand grammar schools – something even Tory MP David Johnston admitted “serve[s] the wealthy, not the poor”. No government should play ideological games with young people’s futures. A Labour government will put equality first and invest properly in our country’s future.