Chancellor Jeremy Hunt

CHANCELLOR Jeremy Hunt spoke a lot about investing in Britain’s future as he unveiled his autumn statement yesterday (Wednesday).

Politicians love to babble on about investment. It gives a sense of a pragmatic and forward-thinking adminis­tration.

“We are investing in communities…” “We are investing in sustainability…” You will all have heard it many times before.

Given this you would think that investing in the state education system would be an urgent and overriding economic priority.

But the trouble with education is that governments rarely last long enough to reap what is sown.

And that is why, despite repeated claims by prime minister Rishi Sunak, education is not going to be top of the Conservative Party’s agenda going into next year’s general election.

Mr Hunt’s autumn statement was described as “completely inadequate” by the National Education Union.

It said it had written a letter to the chancel­lor ahead of his financial announcement reminding him that the average spend in the UK was significantly lower than other countries in Europe.

Camden teachers rallied in central London last night with a warning that the campaign for fully-funded schools is going to ramp-up like never before this year.

Schools in our borough have been hit hard by several years of under-investment. We have seen in recent years headteachers pleading for donations from parents to fund school trips and even basic equipment like pencil sharpeners and exercise books.

The latest figures from the union show 99 per cent of secondary schools and 91 per cent of primary schools will be forced to cut education provision next year.

Hundreds of children in Camden will be getting a less rounded education as a result. Some will feel pushed into certain fields before they have had a chance to really understand what they have a flair for.

The chancellor couldn’t even bring himself to fund urgent work on the school estate following the RAAC concrete scandal.

Teachers’ living standards have been hammered in the cost of living crisis. They deserve a fair pay rise like everyone else.

Meanwhile the private school system is booming. An incredible statistic emerged last year showing that 40 per cent of children living in Camden go to private school.

A two-tier society has become entrenched in our borough as the education funding crisis leads more and more families into considering fee paying schools.

This is a direct consequence of a disgraceful neglect of state schools by the successive governments and the chancellor’s statement does nothing to repair the damage.

Parents and young people, you have been failed. It’s time to get angry. More of the same is not good enough.