Liberal Democrat Autumn Conference called for further measures to create an education support package for children from disadvantaged backgrounds, the Education Credit.

Commenting, Co-Chair of the Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Party Committee on Education, Baroness (Joan) Walmsley, said:

“Education is the best engine for social mobility but, with pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds being three times less likely to achieve five good GSCEs than their more well-off peers, we need to support children comprehensively.

“That is why Liberal Democrats have ensured that this Government has extended free early years education and introduced the Pupil Premium, which will reach £2.5bn a year by 2015 to support disadvantaged pupils in our schools.

“To have the biggest impact, we need to support children from early years straight through to secondary school and on to employment. The Education Credit proposed in this motion will ensure that children who need an extra hand will get joined-up support to help them overcome disadvantage and allow them to flourish.”