Clegg pledges school equality

Monday, 1 March 2010 12:00 AM

By politics.co.uk staff

Nick Clegg has placed inequality firmly at the centre of the Liberal Democrat's education policy and attacked the Tories for not costing their plans for schools.

In a keynote speech on education, Mr Clegg said his party's 'pupil premium' policy would see disadvantaged children receive as much funding for education as private school pupil.

Headmasters would then be able to spend that money on reducing class sizes.

The Conservatives have also pledged a pupil premium, but Mr Clegg savaged it as a policy with no money behind it.

"They have not given any detail on how they will pay for it," the Lib Dem leader said.

"In fact, they have committed precisely no pounds and no pence.

"It is, in my view, the height of cynicism to pledge a pupil premium - by definition an amount of money per pupil - without attaching a figure to it.

"It is playing games with people's hopes to dangle the promise of extra money for children in front of parents with no evidence you can come good on it."

The Tories also unveiled their education agenda today, with shadow schools secretary Michael Gove saying he would push swiftly ahead with the academies programme.

Tags:
• education
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• liberal democrats
,
• party politics
,
• schools