Liberal Democrats pledge smaller class sizes to break education inequality

1.24.44pm GMT Tue 2nd Feb 2010

Liberal Democrat Leader Nick Clegg

Liberal Democrat Leader Nick Clegg has pledged to give every child a fair start in life by investing an extra £2.5bn in schools which could be used to cut class sizes, offer one-on-one tuition and provide catch-up classes.

In a speech to Barnardo's yesterday, Nick Clegg set out the Liberal Democrat manifesto pledge to introduce a Pupil Premium which would raise the poorest children's school funding to private school levels.

Commenting, Nick Clegg said "One of the biggest challenges we face as a country is breaking this link between financial deprivation at home and educational under-achievement in the classroom. Despite all the money that has been spent by Labour, schools taking disadvantaged children aren't getting the money they need to break this link by cutting class sizes and providing them with extra support. As we work our way out of this recession and rebuild a country which is fairer, we must ensure our school system gives every child a chance to fulfil their potential irrespective of their background and where they live."