So Gordon Brown is going to raise the level of spending on public sector education to the same as that on private:
The chancellor yesterday announced an unprecedented package of extra
cash for the education system worth billions of pounds as he promised,
for the first time, to eradicate the pupil funding gap between state
and private schools.
Mr Brown said "the first step" was to increase
capital investment in schools – worth £34bn over the next five years –
which would give state schools "world-class" computer technology,
buildings and teaching materials.
Direct funding to headteachers
will also increase to £440m next year, with the largest secondary
schools typically receiving £365,000 from next week, rising to £500,000
next April.
Delivering
his 10th budget, the chancellor put the focus firmly on education,
raising annual investment from £5.65bn to £8bn over the next five
years. Mr Brown told MPs that some had argued he should spend money on
tax cuts, "and I could, of course, afford to do so. But I say investing
in education comes first. And investing in education is this budget’s
choice".
Reserving the detailed funding announcement until the
end of his speech for maximum impact, Mr Brown said his long-term aim
was that every child should have the level of educational support now
available to the minority of children who were in private schools. The
government had raised funding per pupil from £2,500 to £5,000, he said.
"But this figure of £5,000 per pupil still stands in marked contrast to
average spending per pupil in the private sector of £8,000 a year,"
It’s been something of a long running thing here, with me claiming that spending is already roughly equivalent and others stating that it isn’t. However, now that we’ve actually got a government committed to making (on both the capital and current accounts) the numbers the same, we’re in for something of an interesting time.
1) Will, when the numbers are equal, state schools be "as good" as the private ones. Using whatever criteria we wish. Results? Value added? I’m seriously rather interested in seeing how this will work out. If the resources going in are the same then the value, the product if you wish, coming out should be the same. If they aren’t, then obviously we have one or other structure that is less efficient.
2) If the numbers are indeed the same in a few years time then there’ll be no economic (only political) reason not to have vouchers. Just like they do in Sweden, which as we know is Polly’s desired society.
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