The Labour Party in Blackpool: Party 'needs a clear policy on education'

LABOUR must spell out a clear alternative education policy to the Tories, party managers were warned yesterday, amid disappointment that the conference had waited too long to debate such a crucial issue.

There were calls for John Patten, the Secretary of State for Education, to apologise to children for 'devaluing' GCSE exams as too easy, as the conference pledged to step up opposition to opt-out schools and campaign for the Government to provide nursery education for all three to five-year-olds whose parents seek it.

But delegates were disappointed that education had been given a low profile. Kathleen Merry, of the National Executive Committee's women's section, said that it should have been on Monday or Tuesday's agenda, not Friday's.

She went on: 'We have to ensure we go into the next election with very specific policies.' There had not been enough detail in the mainstream policies during the last election, which had made it difficult to campaign, she said.

Ann Taylor, shadow Education Secretary, said: 'We now have the responsibility of opposing their (the Conservatives') irresponsible experiments.

'But we have another responsibility. We have to let people know what Labour is for in education, that there is another agenda, that we want to concentrate on the real problems in education.'

Ms Taylor said that Labour opposed opt-outs because it was wrong in principle to set school against school.

'It is wrong in principle to reintroduce selection by the back door, with schools choosing parents, not parents choosing schools. It is wrong in principle for a group of parents to be able to hijack a school. The school does not belong to one set of governors, not even to one set of parents but to all of us and all our children.'

The conference rejected a motion calling for public schools to lose their charitable status and an end to religious segregation in education. Joan Lestor MP, opposing the motion on behalf of the NEC, said that the churches had opposed most of the Tory changes in education policy.

'The church hierarchy has defended local education authorities against Tory attacks and has continued to work closely with us against opt outs.' Labour could not tear up these relationships, she said.