Schools look for reassurance

Schools and universities are looking for reassurance from Gordon Brown that as health has risen up the Government's agenda, education has not slipped back.

They want more money to be spent on recruiting the large number of new teachers and teaching assistants needed to make good the Government's pledge to cut teachers' working hours.

The workload is blamed for the crisis in recruiting staff - in London, there are about 61,700 teachers but this is 2,160 short of the required total, a vacancy rate of 3.5 per cent.

The shortfall condemns thousands of children to a procession of temporary teachers and a poorer standard of education.

London schools also have some of the worst problems with decaying buildings in the country - the bill for urgent repairs in the capital's schools is £104 million out of a national total of £754million.

Discipline in London schools is also among the worst in the country. Ministers have promised hundreds more in-school "sin bins" for disruptive children. That too will require heavy spending.

Universities also want nearly £10billion over the next four years to fund the Government's target to expand higher education to half those under 30 by 2010.

The major teaching unions will be hoping that - as Tony Blair signalled in an interview last Sunday - some of the anticipated £8billion tax increase to pay for public services will find its way into education.