Assorted acolytes from the teaching unions are padding around the Lib Dem conference,
fomenting discontent around activists who are opposed to the coalition’s adoption of academies and free schools. Officials from NASUWT and the NUT have pricked the airwaves with tales of concern and frustration.
Education minister Sarah Teather addressed the conference earlier this morning and she was unrepentant. She eviscerated Labour’s record on education and, by extension, the system that has been dominated by the teaching unions. She also pledged to double the pupil premium next year to £1.25 billion, which will allow schools to increase their expenditure on tuition, parental support, after school clubs and so forth.
The pupil premium is a key Liberal Democrat policy, championed by David Laws in opposition and through the coalition negotiations. Laws is a regular feature on the fringe at this year’s conference, touching on virtually all aspects of policy. This conference is being touted as a comeback for the former Treasury Secretary.
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