Industry News

'No improvement' in education

Posted on 13th August 2007

The Institute of Directors (IoD) today published its 2007 education report which surveyed 500 members and found widespread belief that standards have not improved since 1997.

The report is published ahead of exam results and claims that despite drastically increased spending of 49 per cent over the last ten years, the GCSE pass rate increased by less than 13 per cent.

The report describes this as a threefold increase in expenditure with "almost no acceleration in performance".

Surveyed IoD members found that 49 per cent believed educational quality in schools had got worse.

IoD director general Miles Templeman commented there needed to be a change in performance in order for children to meet "future skill needs".

He added: "This is particularly true with regard to literacy and numeracy skills in the early years."

Prime minister Gordon Brown recently announced he would put education at the heart of his parliamentary programme, including plans to raise the school leaving age.