Schools: Funding

Debate between Lord Lexden and Baroness Smith of Malvern

Tuesday 25th November 2025 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Smith of Malvern (Lab)]

The point I was making was that the VAT on private schools is raising £1.8 billion a year, and in just one year we are investing £3.7 billion in the increase in the core schools budget. If the argument that noble Lords opposite are making is that this is a small amount of the increased investment that this Labour Government are putting into education, they are right, but it is nevertheless an important amount.

[Lord Lexden (Con)]

My Lords, how are the Government getting on with recruiting the 6,500 extra teachers for which their iniquitous, unprecedented education tax is designed to pay? Is it not the case that the total number of teachers is going down, not up?

[Baroness Smith of Malvern (Lab)]

No. The number of new teachers in secondary and special schools, where the demographic need particularly is, is increasing due to the investment that we have been able to put into both a 5.5% pay award for last year and a 4% pay award for this year. That means that we have already seen the workforce grow by 2,346 full-time equivalents in secondary and special schools, where they are needed most. We are also able to report in the latest census one of the lowest leaver rates since 2010. We are recruiting more teachers for the schools that teach the majority of our children, and I am proud that that is the decision we have taken.

Maintained Schools: Term Dates

Debate between Lord Lexden and Baroness Smith of Malvern

Monday 9th December 2024 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Smith of Malvern (Lab)]

Some enormously good work has been done by academies and maintained schools on using teaching and non-teaching staff to ensure that children are getting a good education. None of it, as far as I can see, depends on them having in place inadequate, discriminatory or undermining employment conditions for their support staff. I do not see why providing a suitable and appropriate basis for people’s employment should in any way undermine the excellent work being done by our schools.

[Lord Lexden (Con)]

The Minister mentioned the importance of co-ordination between maintained schools and academies. How widespread is that desirable co-ordination, and what plans do the Government have for extending it?

[Baroness Smith of Malvern (Lab)]

In most local authority areas there is usually a general coherence between the holiday sessions offered by maintained schools and by academies. While academy trusts are free to set their own term and holiday dates, generally there is co-ordination across local authority areas. For the sake of parents, it is, as we have discussed, generally a good thing.