I’m delighted to announce today that the Lib Dems will invest nearly £7bn more in schools and colleges over the next Parliament.

This funding would reverse cuts to school and college budgets, protect per-pupil funding in real terms, and ensure that every school gets the support it deserves. This goes further than Labour’s commitment to reverse £3bn of cuts to school budgets by 2020.

My colleague Sarah Olney – our Shadow Education Secretary – had this to say: “Children are being taught in overcrowded classes by overworked teachers – but Theresa May doesn’t care.

“While funding per pupil is set to see the biggest cuts in a generation, billions are being spent on divisive plans to expand grammars and free schools. The Lib Dems’ extra £7 billion would ensure no school and no child loses out.”

Sarah’s right – the Tories are misdirecting and cutting funds to disastrous effect. Perhaps the saddest statistic is that – according the National Audit Office – up to 60% of school buildings are in urgent need of repair. How damning! Our schools are quite literally crumbling.

If you want to stop the continued degradation of our precious education system and prevent the Conservatives from bruising it further, vote Lib Dem on 8th June – the strong opposition that Britain needs.

Over the course of the parliament, we will:

• Protect per pupil funding in real terms in schools (£3.3bn)
• Protect further education per pupil funding in real terms (£660m)
• Ensure no school loses out from the National Funding Formula (£1.26bn)
• Protect the pupil premium in real terms (£415m)
• Invest in continuous professional development for teachers (£165m)

The £6.9bn includes £1.1bn of Barnett consequentials for devolved nations.

These plans will be fully costed in the Liberal Democrat manifesto, which will be launched in due course and set all our spending plans out in more detail. This will include reversing the Government’s proposed funding for new grammar schools.