The Education section of the Liberal Democrat pre-manifesto, Freedom in a Liberal Society is entitled ‘Freedom to Learn’ and reaffirms the Liberal Democrat commitment to investment in a better quality of education for all.

The Liberal Democrats believe that:

The Government should interfere less in the professional judgement made by teachers, by cutting bureaucracy to give teachers more freedom to teach.

Despite the money announced by the government in the Comprehensive Spending Review, Britain’s schools have been starved of resources for too long.

The Liberal Democrats guarantee to:

Fund long-term investment in education from the start of the next Parliament, irrespective of short-term economic growth (which may, in time, allow us to do more). If necessary, the commitments will be funded by putting an additional penny on the basic rate of income tax.

Policies outlined in the document include:

• Reducing class sizes for 5 to 11 year olds - by establishing a maximum average class size of 25 in primary schools.

• Giving all children the best start in life - by providing high quality free nursery education for all 3 as well as 4 year olds whose parents want it.

• Replacing the National Curriculum with a Minimum Curriculum Entitlement which will provide a broad and balanced curriculum that includes languages, science, maths, the humanities, creative arts, physical development, parenting and citizenship.

• Promoting access to higher and further education - by funding the abolition of tuition fees and establishing a student maintenance package that provides adequate support for students and improves access for traditionally under-represented groups in higher and further education.
  This will form part of a policy of encouraging flexible lifelong learning by setting up Individual Learning Accounts containing funds from government, individuals and employers to help meet the cost of fees and maintenance.

• Increasing funding books and equipment for schools - particularly ICT by providing minimum Internet access of one hour per week per pupil.

• Giving pupils more time with teachers - by reducing targets and bureaucracy and valuing the professionalism of teachers and by providing introducing paid ‘preparation hours’ in primary schools. This will include the introduction of extra teachers to reduce contact time for existing staff, thus guaranteeing all primary teachers an extra two paid hours each week for preparation and planning.

The Liberal Democrats also propose to address environmental issues in relation to education through the following:

• Funding a Schools 2010 programme - to tackle the backlog of school building repairs and to include environmental assessment of building to promote the use of better insulation, double glazing and solar panels.

• Promoting the development of more Safe Routes to Schools - to encourage parents to allow their children to walk or cycle to school in safety.

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