Key Education Service is Failing

5.30.54pm UTC (GMT +0000) Wed 26th Jul 2006

A key part of Manchester Council's Education department is failing and cannot show how it delivers value for money, after revelations in a review before today's Executive Committee.

The "Manchester Education Partnership" exists to drive up attainment and attendance levels in Manchester's 175 schools. But a critical review of the service has shown that attendance in Manchester is still 30% worse than in Tower Hamlets or Hackney.

Councillor Paul Shannon, who is Manchester Liberal Democrat Deputy Leader and Chair of Governors in a Manchester school, stated:

"This is a disgraceful catalogue of failure from Manchester's Labour Council. It is simply astounding that after ten years of leadership Sir Richard Leese is unable to show how a key service demonstrates value for money."

"Manchester's economic future relies on our children getting the best start in life. Despite significant funding increases, that simply isn't happening at the moment. This Council has wasted a lot of education money with very little to show for it."

"Manchester Liberal Democrats welcome the management changes announced in today's report, and we fervently hope that standards of attainment & attendance levels improve quickly."

End

Note to Editors:

Today's Council report on "Improving the Education Service" states that:

- Manchester Education Partnership is unable to demonstrate how it delivers value for money in the use of resources.

- Manchester invests significant financial resources in Education compared to similar authorities but there is a poor link between this and outcomes.

- Far more funding is held for local authority delivery in Manchester than in many other authorities but that additional funding is not clearly delivering improved outcomes.