BUDGET

12 March 2008

Commenting on the Chancellor’s Budget speech, Steve Sinnott, General Secretary of the National Union of Teachers, Europe’s largest teaching union said:

“In the context of the recent Comprehensive Spending Review, there is some good news for schools, including extra money for training science teachers, the expansion of the London Challenge model and bringing forward support for the toughest schools. The renewed commitment to end child poverty is a real plus, particularly in the face of global economic difficulty.

“However, I would have wanted Alistair Darling to commit himself to Gordon Brown’s pledge to raise spending on state education to private school levels. The Government has not yet set a target date. 2014 is a realistic goal, I urge the Government to commit itself to this target”.