Where is Education in the British Election?

As the British election campaign draws to a close,  the political parties are making their final passionate pleas to the electorate.  In the era of ‘retail offer politics’, the election debate has been dominated by last minute offers and overshadowed by the myriad of speculation surrounding combinations for coalition.  Notable in its absence has been any great discourse around the area of education, particularly with the ghost of Tony Blair's three word mantra still ringing in many ears.

In this, it can be argued that the politicians are led by the public.  Numerous polling on the ‘issues of greatest concern to the electorate’ produce the same list of concerns.  Immigration, the NHS, The Economy dominate with education a relatively distant fourth according to the latest Ipsos Mori poll conducted with the Economist. (April 30^th)

It has been notable that the areas of debate that have featured education have often subsumed it into other headline areas of concern.  The number of school places are discussed, but in the open debates and discussion programmes that have come to characterise this campaign, the conversation quickly becomes more about immigration than education.  This is reflected in the headline policies of the parties, particularly those on the right.

The Conservative Party, still likely to poll the largest number of seats has made its flagship policy one of expansion and deregulatory philosophy.  ‘Free schools, funded by the state but run by parents, teachers or third parties outside council control.’ (Telegraph Newspaper, 2^nd May 2015) At least 500 extra free schools will be built if the Conservatives win the election, David Cameron has said, in addition to promises about the number of apprenticeships, something largely subsumed into the debate on employment and benefit culture.

Free schools have a level of freedom to set their own curriculum and employ teachers without formal teaching qualifications – something that Labour Shadow Education Minister Tristram Hunt tried and failed to make a key debate issue from.  The argument of the danger of ‘unqualified people teaching our kids’ struggled to gain any real traction, largely because most voters older than 30 were more than likely themselves taught by unqualified teachers, including senior figures in all political parties.

Labour’s headline education policy is simple.  The party supports a one third decrease in tuition fees, from a capped maximum of £9,000 per year to £6000.  On paper this should be an effective policy, however, public trust in declarations around University tuition is at an all time low after the Liberal Democrat pledge of the 2010 election.  This broken promise is, according to the latest polling, set to be a defining factor in a two thirds reduction in seats for the party.

The fallout of this has understandably made the Liberal Democrats extremely reticent to discuss education at all and brought a note of caution to the promises of all the major parties.  The Liberal Democrats have shifted their focus away from the disaffected student to parents of the youngest children, proposing ‘15 hours free early education to all three-to-four year-olds and 40 per cent of two-year-olds.’ They have also aimed policies at building a stronger link between investment per pupil and need, encouraging higher spending in the most deprived areas.

Indeed, all three major parties have made promises around departmental spending and this has characterised the second half of the debate regarding protected investment as each party tries to avoid being forced to list the areas where spending cuts are set to fall.  No party has made education a protected area, meaning that the national education budget will face decreases in the coming five year term.  Lack of funds, increasingly entrenched and ‘blue sky policy’ weary teacher’s unions provide another obstacle to big policy change, as discovered by the ignominious reshuffling last year of Conservative Education Minister Michael Gove, in spite of broad public support for his reforms.

Perhaps the greatest reason why education is not leading the election as an issue in comparison to previous years is this – meaningful policy change in relation to education is an investment issue, a long term commitment from which the results might not be seen for a generation of pupils.  In an election as close and increasingly bitter as this one, it could be argued that the long term vision is being sacrificed for the short term political soundbyte, the ‘retail offer’ designed to move that last undecided voter.

Issues of national statistical interest, such as Britain’s fluctuating position in the various league tables are less likely to drive voters who are being encouraged from all sides to appeal to their own self interest in their political choice.  Because of this, whoever wins tonight, education in the United Kingdom faces an uncertain future.