Class cuts will betray pupils

EVEN though New Labour's political and economic legacy leaves much to be desired, Tony Blair did preside over a schools revolution and transformed classrooms across the country. It was, frankly, scandalous that so many pupils were being taught in such dilapidated buildings, many of which were temporary post-war structures that were decades past their sell-by date.

Mr Blair recognised this, and the former Prime Minister deserves credit for acknowledging that there was a link between attainment, and the quality of the teaching environment. This must not be forgotten.

However, while accepting that the country simply cannot afford to maintain spending at existing levels, it appears that Michael Gove – the Education Secretary – is intent on repeating the mistakes of the past. He needs to undertake a quick history lesson.

Of course, Labour's Building Schools for the Future programme was too convoluted and was bureaucratically top-heavy. That is accepted. But it does not justify Mr Gove's botched handling of the cuts that are currently being introduced – the process has been haphazard at best.

Some are also deeply short-sighted, especially as it is now going to cost more than 200m to patch up Yorkshire's crumbling schools in the interim just so youngsters can continue to be taught in buildings that have been condemned as unsuitable by education officials.

What is the Minister's message to the parents of those children who face being taught in sub-standard schools as a consequence of his government's decisions? They deserve an explanation at the very least, especially as Yorkshire schools already prop up national league tables and Mr Gove is supposedly a member of a coalition that is committed to reducing inequality. It would also be disingenuous if Mr Gove tries to blame Yorkshire's local authorities. In case he has forgotten, town halls were the major losers in last month's spending review and they already have significant maintenance backlogs.

The sums are considerable. In Bradford's case, the outstanding repairs equate to 55m – and this is before the council tries to finance the extra 40,000 places that the city will require over the next decade as its population expands.

Instead of blaming Labour, or local councillors, Mr Gove needs to explain how he will support all those youngsters whose future prospects could be compromised by the decision to scale back the school building and maintenance programme on such a drastic scale.

It is the least that they deserve from a government which is so fond of reminding taxpayers "we're all in this together".