To wonder what all these changes Labour has made to schools are?

[CatRescueNeeded]

From an article in the BBC today, Kier says “really done loads of improvements in schools and stuff that we can do for children - whether that's rolling out school uniform projects, whether it's school meals, breakfast clubs, you name it“

Despite having kids in schools and knowing lots of kids in different schools around the country, I’ve not heard of any changes at all. They definitely haven’t done free breakfast clubs like they said they would. Nor have I come across any changes to uniforms or school meals

so what exactly is he talking about?

Not here either.

No after school club. We're still funding the ASC provision for the little ones by fund-raising, donations and running bingo in the village hall.

We can't afford to run the club for the senior school dcs so they run wild on the estate from 3.30 until their parents get home.

Maybe it's just in inner cities.

I am not actually sure! I work in two Trusts (so see the financial reports and hear the plans for an awful lot of schools)

There hasn't been much change.

Rubbish probably.

1. 100,000 extra kids now have access to free school meals
2. Curriculum and Assessment Review to be fully punished later this year which plans to make the curriculum more versatile and modernised and diverse reflective of everyday communities.
3. Children Wellbeing Bill (not fully passed the Lords yet but will in the next few months) - Creation of a Single Unique Indentifier or children and a mandatory information sharing across health, education and social care. Requirement for multi-agency child protection teams (social worker, police, health, education) to be established locally by 2027. Introduction of a register for all children not in full time education. Local authorities regain power to open schools (not solely academies). Discretionary support via RISE teams for falling schools. All new teachers (including in academies) must have or be working towards OTS from September 2026.
4. £6.7 billion captial boost of real-term spending for schools in the October 2024 Budget, including £1.4 billion to rebuild over 500 schools. 200 new school-based nurseries (4,000 places initially, scaling to 300 nurseries/6,000 places) opening September 2025, along with free breakfast clubs, expanded free childcare hours, wider free school meals, and capped uniform costs implemented starting September 2026 (only 3 branded uniform items now allowed) - supported by nearly £370 million.
5. £740 million pledged; mainstream SEND provisions to be expanded, with potential changes to EHCP eligibility; focus on reducing local authority deficits
6. £275 million for technical training + apprenticeships: supporting new technical colleges, AI & digital short courses, and apprenticeships in engineering, defence, advanced manufacturing
7. Launch of Skills England (June 2025) to improve apprenticeships

Haven’t noticed a single thing at our school. We keep being told ‘there is no money’. Everyone is demoralised. So everything above has yet to arrive at our school.

So its in the pipeline rather than delivered.

Im very interested in the Curriculumn Review results.

Im nervous about SEND being focused on reducing deficits not improving practice though.

Massive curriculum changes coming - see Becky Francis’ report

They've made it so schools can only ask for a max of 3 (?) logo'd items of uniform I think

Yes, well it obviously takes time to see real changes and there's processes to go throguh but it is a positive start. Also the money promised in October Budget has only just been handed out in spending review - so it will take time. I know a school benefitting from the money for rebuilding - they're getting a whole new build starting in the summer or later this year. It's quite run down and will be much more modern, planned to be finished I'm the next 4-5 years.

I think my DC will now be entitled to free school meals from September 🥳

Nothing, more redundancies than ever for teachers and support staff at the school I teach at.

Sorry people, but Labour started the downslide in British education in the 1970s by abolishing grammar schools.
Virtually every country in Europe recognises that some pupils are academic and some are not. The education systems are organised to recognise this, with the option to change schools at various points to accommodate late developers.
The problem with Labour is that is does not recognise intellectual "unfairness" and wants to dumb everyone down to the same, very low, level.

Not seen any benefits at all at my school (special school)
Pupil numbers : all time high
Staff numbers : all time low.
Building... falling apart.
Curriculum... absolutely everything that made our special school such a wonderful place for our high needs pupils... pared to the bone. No residentials, no horse riding, no forest school. The hydro pool has been out of action for two years.
Local SEND... shit show and a large number of parents have had to go to tribunal to get a place... these are pupils who could never be placed in mainstream, yet the council keeps on trying to place severely autistic, non verbal children with very challenging behaviour in mainstream!

Maybe the number of free school meals has increased, but the quality of food is so low it's appalling.
Not blaming Labour for all of this, for sure, it has been going downhill for at least the last 5-10 years, but there are no improvements to be seen yet and the SEND sector is a MESS.

I don't think it is the end of most grammar schools that is the main issue. I see the ending of the university/polytechnic choice by the third term Tory 1980s government, and then the aim of half of all children going to so-called universities under Tony Blair, as far worse.

In my children's primary school they rolled out free breakfast club straight after the Easter holiday. Children already attending got priority and had to fill in a separate form. They did expand and separate ks1 and ks2 children. Because demand increased. Breakfast club is now full.

I'd actually say that whilst some Labour education secretaries have and this attitude having followed and read lots of what Bridget Phillipson thinks - she has a different attitude. Also having read the Curriculum and Assessment Review intermin report they want to refocus on vocational education ad I said in one of my earlier poss lots of investment into skills and apprenticeships. She also wants to reassert the importance on creative subjects to STEM and core subjects. I think the curriculum changes (having had a small part in a company reporting to the Dfe for the Curriculum review) will allow for more diversity especially considering the classroom demographics - allowing for more choice. Ever since Michael Gove got rid of some of that and forced back only English or British focused topics, which in my experience especially for subjects like history and english teachers have disliked.

Listen only time will tell, this time next year and in 2027, we can have a much more clear view. It takes time for that to be felt and I'm willing to give them time. However, I do think I only know so much because I watch and read lots more news than average as I study politics etc and thus I think that's a sign of a failure. Most people don't interact with politics or what they're doing in education as much as me; also if those working in the sector can't feel it or know about it - that's also problematic in terms of coms strategy which I think has been so weak. They're using techniques for the early 2000s not 2035 and Starmer's belief in deliverism, I think might backfire.

Our school got some money for a new roof and extra space under the last government. Our nearest school is being rebuilt, again that started under the last government. Support staff have been offered a 3.2 % pay rise for this year, which doesn’t match inflation. By the time any money trickles through to us from this government they will have been kicked out.

I think the SEND situation can only get worse as mainstream schools become SEND hubs. To make this work properly would cost a fortune.

Free breakfast club started at Easter at my DC school. It’s from 8 and they can have toast, crumpets or cereal. It’s really popular and has made life easier for us

That's September 2026 if you are talking about the change to UC making you entitled to FSM.

Not all grammar schools have been abolished they still exist in some parts of the U.K.

No changes here bar a finances letter asking for support and concern over staff leaving - state school

Indeed, no improvements to be seen yet.

It's going to take LOTS of money to provide children with an education they deserve, and tax payers aren’t willing to pay for it.

I know the education sectors was unexpectedly hit with the national insurance thing

A local school is under the rebuild scheme. Had been for a number of years. Plans etc were meant to start beginning of last year. Nothing happened so far. Have now been told discussions might start beginning of next year but have been told it would then take 2 years from then for building work. One building block is already condemned and out of use as too dangerous and at least one other block is close to being condemned. School is having to spend precious funding on keeping these blocks safe for them to then be knocked down in potentially 2 years time. What a waste of money. So they haven’t seen any benefit.

The free breakfast club has been piloted. Some schools in the pilot scheme have already stopped running it as can’t afford it as money they receive from the Government doesn’t cover the actual costs (like most schemes introduced by any Government)