Commenting on the Prime Minister’s speech at Labour Party Conference, Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the National Education Union, said:
"Andy Burnham is correct to say the country took a wrong turn in the 1980s. He is right to say the country needs a new economy and politics. He is also right to say things aren't working as they should for working people.
"If the hope and optimism that he talked about today is to become a reality then the Prime Minister will need to tackle the vested interests of those at the top of society who have enriched themselves at the expense of the majority in the country.
"The Prime Minister's call for a comprehensive education system, with parity between the academic and the technical, is welcome. But to deliver it will necessitate a new assessment and accountability system. It will require an end to the ideology that pits schools in competition against each other. It demands an end to the lack of democratic oversight of academies, and an end to the profiteering and excessive CEO pay. Above all else, schools need a cash injection to end 16 years of real terms cuts that has left 74 per cent of schools worse off in real terms than in 2010.
"Taxing the big tech giants and reform of the tax system should be part of the solution to funding education and public services.
"The NEU will support the Prime Minister in his endeavours where he delivers for education and working people, but we will continue to press this government where they fail to deliver.
"People need to see change. They need to feel change. Parents need to know that not only will their lives improve but the lives of their children will be better."