Peter Shreeve, assistant district secretary of the Isle of Wight branch of the National Education Union:

With regards to the Spring Budget and Jeremy Hunt’s speech as Chancellor of the Exchequer, again nothing has been done to alleviate the crisis that threatens to paralyse education. 

The Chancellor did little to address education funding. Again, there is no action on teacher and support staff recruitment or retention or record class sizes. Nor was there any significant attempt to tackle child poverty.

On SEND, there was a commitment to build 15 new special schools and a commitment to raise public spending by one per cent above inflation. However, no guarantee of increases to education and no denial of further cuts. 

Watching the Chancellor’s statement reminded me of Punch and Judy, except the Chancellor was beating long-suffering public services with his cudgel, whilst screaming: “That’s the way to do it!”.

In October, the Prime Minister said that education was ‘the best economic policy’.

Jeremy Hunt wants a ‘high skills, high wage’ economy. Both have failed to invest sufficient in education. Both have failed to deliver what everyone accepts is needed. That’s not the way to do it!

The inescapable fact is that 77 per cent of Isle of Wight schools have less funding in real terms than in 2010.

The Chancellor’s message is to just keep doing more and more with less and less. That’s not the way to do it!