Education
We have a de-facto State monopoly with excessive control over education, which needs to be removed. Our aim is to enable parents to hold schools to account and, if found wanting, to take their business elsewhere. We also reject the concept of "educational conscription" that forces people to remain in education until 18.
A Scholarship For Every Child
We shall move to a voucher system similar to that in Sweden, coupled with what we believe to be an essential component of any successful voucher system—the ability for people to found schools wherever they wish and for existing schools to opt out of direct State control. We do not envisage a mass sell-off of State assets, but a switch to independent not-for-profit and private entities competing openly.
Funding and Accountability — Primary and Secondary Schools
- Vouchers, based on Swedish-style education reforms, to be used at any school, and parents to be able to top up.
- Independent schools to be free to set-up wherever they wish.
- Removal of veto and control over establishment, funding and administration of schools from LEAs.
- Selection, setting and streaming to be the decision of the individual schools.
- The intention is to enable a surplus of school places to be provided in all areas. Poorly performing schools will either reform and improve, be absorbed by others, or simply close due to lack of parental support (if vouchers are "spent" elsewhere).
State Funding/Vouchers To A-Level
No age limit imposed, so students can re-enter formal education after previously leaving before taking exams.
Roll Back Targets
We call for an end to centrally imposed targets, many of which devalue education and educational standards for all.
Freedom For Exam Boards
- Exam boards to be free from government grade gerrymandering.
- Schools free to adopt the exam boards of their choice.
Tertiary Education
- Move towards greater sponsorship, bursaries, scholarships and bonds by all sectors of the economy to free the Universities, Polytechnics and Technical Colleges from the dead hand of State interference.
- Entities that cannot provide the full University range—Bachelor, Masters, Doctorate and research faculties—shall no longer be called Universities.
- Dismantle any subsidies distorting the market and size of the University population.
Due to our proposal to abolish Income Tax, the contention over the charitable status of some educational establishments will become irrelevant in most cases.