A Times Education Commission set up in 2021 ‘to examine the future of education in light of the Covid-19 crisis, declining social mobility, new technology and the changing nature of work,’ published the results of its yearlong study this June. Examining reform in ten areas - the Commission was fuelled by an increase of students starting school lacking basic skills. The ten areas under review are as follows alongside the UK Independence Party manifesto for Education.

1. The purpose of education. The UK Independence Party will reorient the school curriculum around subjects and lessons that will enable students to leave school with the ability to think for themselves and to have a sound understanding of English, maths, science, and British history.

2. Social mobility (to include the attainment gap, early-years). 

3. What children learn (the curriculum). The UK Independence Party requires primary schools to focus on developing literacy and numeracy and to develop intellectual skills

4. How children learn (teaching and pedagogy).

5. Assessment. The UK Independence Party believes that traditional exams are usually the fairest and best way of assessing academic standards and it will encourage exam boards to adopt this method as the norm and address grade inflation to make a particular grade meaningful UKIP will require each grade to be limited to a fixed percentage of entrants that will not vary from year to year. This will enable students and employers to know the value of their grade, regardless of when it was taken.

6. Education in the community (to include family, lifelong learning, classroom of the future, faith schools and the environment). The UK Independence Party will not allow schools to undermine parental rights and will repeal the Equality Act provisions that make race, sex, sexuality, and gender protected characteristics as part of a drive to stop the left-wing indoctrination of young minds.

7. Mental health and wellbeing (to include character, brain development, food, and fitness). The UK Independence Party requires primary schools to have adequate and easy to access playing fields so that school children can readily engage in and enjoy competitive sport. In addition, the U.K. Independence Party encourages competition in schools, particularly in sport, to reverse the practice of recent years which has viewed competition as inherently bad.

8. The role of AI and technology. The UK Independence Party will promote a local approach for the integration of skills with economic growth strategies, adapted to the needs of each individual community across the country and will encourage students to choose courses and careers that will help to fill the current skills gap, to benefit the UK and to give young people the best career opportunities.

9. Exclusion, alternative provision, and special educational needs. The UK Independence Party will introduce special educational needs modules in all teacher training courses and make it easier for teaching staff to access specialists who can assess special needs. In addition, The U.K. Independence Party will reverse the policy of closing schools for special needs children because some children with special needs need to be in special schools. There must be no stigma attached to these schools and will tackle the unacceptable waiting times for diagnostic assessment.

10. Further education and higher education(including skills, employment needs and apprenticeships). The UK Independence Party supports part-time provision of courses to widen access to higher education and to help up- skill the British workforce and protect the future further education budget in real terms. In addition, T\the UK Independence Party will end the target of 50% of young people going to higher education.

The review includes evaluations by ‘leading figures from business, science, culture and the arts as well as politics and education,’ the UK Independence Party, always ahead of the curve has addressed these pressing education concerns in its full manifesto. It is interesting to see how The Times Education Commission survey lines up with the long-established education plans of the UK Independence Party.

Julie Carter 

UK Independence Party – Spokeswoman for Education