'Bacc' diploma cash blow will limit the futures of children

OUR FAILING Labour Government revealed more miserable news this week for high-achieving state schools, including the academy I founded 34 years ago. Funding for state schools that is used to cover the costs of teenagers studying on the International Baccalaureate's Diploma Programme is being slashed.

- Lord Ashcroft

ENGAGED: Pupils enjoy some theatrical science at Ashcroft Technology Academy

The latest cutback, due to take effect from next year, means some 5,000 students are likely to lose access to the IB diploma, as state schools will not be able to afford to offer it.

Some 20 state schools in England currently support the diploma qualification, with each receiving an additional £2,400 per pupil to deliver it.

Since Labour came to power, it has introduced a series of measures aimed at dumbing down education, including the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill, which was widely criticised as politically motivated. The Bill's proposed changes included forcing academies to teach the national curriculum for the first time and stripping them of their power to recruit expert teachers who do not have official qualifications.

The expansion of academy schools in England has been the biggest success story in education for a generation. Yet, not content with attacking their future, the Government now seems determined to demolish the IB in English state schools.