London Labour Party

Labour is committed to raising standards, better discipline and increasing choice       

•  Average funding per pupil (for those aged 3 to 19) in London has increased in real terms by £1,420 since 1997/98       
• Standards are improving
• Since 1997/98, in London the number of 11-year-olds achieving the required standard in English has risen from 64% to 80% and gone up from 56% to 75% in Maths
• There are 6,700 more teachers in London than in 1997
• There are 42,150 support staff in London schools, of whom 22,820 are teaching assistants (Jan 2006)
• The number of 15-year-old pupils in maintained schools in London achieving 5 or more GCSEs at grades A* to C (or equivalent) has risen from 42% to 58% since 1997/98
• Under the Building Schools for the Future initiative, projects worth £328m are in procurement for improving secondary school buildings and facilities in three London authorities, covering 15 schools. In a further eight authorities projects worth £742m and covering 50 schools are in the planning stage, with three of these authorities expected to enter procurement in the first quarter of 2006
• In October 2005 the Education Secretary, announced the results of the 2006-09 Targeted Capital Fund (TCF). London boroughs are to receive nearly £240m to meet schools' priority building needs which are too large to be supported from formulaic programmes, and too urgent to wait for Building Schools for the Future funding
• The Sure Start initiative aims to improve the life chances of children under four in areas of need. Within London Children's centres are being developed in every neighbourhood to bring together early education, childcare, health and family support, 215 Centres have been designated to date
• To date 2184 (89%) of the 2454 schools in London targeted by the Healthy Schools programme have joined the National Healthy Schools programme of which 1373 (56%) have now achieved healthy school status