22 March 2012

Investment in education is essential to delivering the best school system possible according to Wales' largest teaching union. With the most recent figures available showing children in Wales on average receive £604 less per head than those in England, the National Union of Teachers (NUT) has called on the Government to invest in education the additional funding which it has received today as a result of the budget announcement.

NUT Wales Secretary David Evans said:

"One of the best ways to improve the economy is to invest in the futures of our children. If we want our workforces in future to have the right qualifications and skills, we have to make sure that they are given the best possible start. The Welsh Government is set to receive an additional £11.7m as a result of today's budget, and we believe that investing that money, or part of it, in education is crucial. There is a range of ways in which this money could be used to help support teachers, parents and pupils in their endeavours. This alone would prove to be a significant boost to driving forward standards.

"Let's make no mistake, today's budget is nothing to celebrate for teachers and other public sector workers. There are some very real threats to national pay structures which will have caused a lot of concern. Leaving the door open to regional pay is certainly something that our members will be deeply worried about. I don't envy the position of the Welsh Government in relation to the cuts made to its funding. However, where there are new resources available, we would urge the Government to ensure they are used to plug the increasingly concerning funding gap between Welsh and English pupils."