Labour's record on education is one of failure - Carol Woods

12.00.00am GMT Sat 13th Mar 2010

Carol Woods, Liberal Democrat campaigner for Durham City, has today attacked Labour's record on education after more than a decade in power.

Summing up the education policy debate at the Liberal Democrat Spring Conference in Birmingham, Carol said:

"If you were to write the end of term report card for Labour's policy on education, education, education it would read "failure, failure, failure".

Highlighting the high level of average student debt, she said:

"When we are just coming out of a deep recession caused by unsustainable levels of personal debt, how can Gordon Brown and Tony Blair defend their broken promises that leave graduates with such huge debt?"

Also commenting on the Conservative policies on education, Carol added:

"David Cameron's solution to the problem is to make students pay even more. They are not interested in helping children from poorer backgrounds fulfil their potential."

Carol said that only the Liberal Democrats would make education fairer for all by abolishing tuition fees and by introducing a pupil premium which would provide early investment into the education system to ensure more young people have the opportunity to succeed at school.

In Durham alone the Lib Dem pupil premium would provide an extra £30million for local schools allowing them to cut class sizes, reduce social segregation and give every child a fair start regardless of their background.