Pepe Di’Iasio, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on the appointment of Andy Burnham as the new Prime Minister.
“We welcome Andy Burnham to the role of Prime Minister, and we look forward to working with his administration. We would encourage him to make education a national priority. It is too often seen as a cost which can be cut when it should be seen as an investment in the young people of the country and in providing the knowledge and skills for a thriving economy. We will not be internationally competitive in the future if we do not commit now to long-term strategic funding to ensure the best possible support and opportunities for all our children and young people. We know that the new Prime Minister is committed to reducing the very high number of young people who are not in education, employment, or training. We know that he wants to provide parity between academic and technical routes. We all share those ambitions, and we are committed to supporting him and his administration on developing the policy detail which will turn those aspirations into reality.”