Leading Article: New leader, new promises

New Prime Minister Gordon Brown struck the right tone on education policies in his acceptance speech to the Labour Party conference in Manchester and in his Mansion House speech to industrialists last Thursday. He spoke of his "passion" for education and desire to create a "world-class education service". We have heard that before from his predecessor but it is welcome to hear that education will remain a top priority under a Brown government. More tellingly, he spoke of his desire to see countries devoting "not just 5, 6, 7 or 8" per cent of their gross domestic product to education but 10 per cent.

Similarly, he spoke of his desire to move towards increasing education spending per pupil from its present £5,500 in the state sector to the £8,000 spent in the private sector – a theme he had outlined in a previous Budget speech. Note the words, though. He would like to see countries moving to spending 10 per cent of their GDP on education. There is no commitment or timetable by which this should be done. Similarly, on closing the gap between spending in the private and state sector, there is – as yet – no timetable. It is perhaps a little too early in the day to remonstrate with him over a lack of clarity. After all, he has still barely got his feet under the table. However, those in the education world will surely wait to see the fruits of his labours before rushing to congratulate him on his policies. At the very least, though, it can be said he has positioned himself as a champion of spending on education – which would make it very difficult for his successor as Chancellor to introduce anything but a further real terms increase in spending over the period of the next comprehensive spending review. For this we should be grateful as we await the details of the policies he is likely to pursue.

We would like to commend one policy to him, though. Have a look at the education department's plans for specialist diplomas and then revisit the report by former chief schools inspector Sir Mike Tomlinson advocating the introducing a diploma embracing both vocational and academic A-levels and GCSEs. Decide which option is most likely to deliver the world-class vocational education we so desperately need. We beg to suggest it would be the latter.