Today Kate Green, the shadow education secretary, addressed delegates at the Labour Party Conference in Brighton.

Paul Whiteman, general secretary of the largest union for school leaders, NAHT, said: “I was pleased that the shadow Secretary of State took the time to recognise school leaders and their teams for their efforts over the past months. It was right some were there to hear it. 

“The shadow Secretary of State has recognised some of the most pressing issues facing schools and young people today, and we will continue our dialogue with Labour about their vision for education. 

“We are a politically independent union, which means that we are visiting all the major party conferences to argue for education reform. I want to see politicians from all parties talking with the highest level of ambition for education in this country. That should be the foundation of a meaningful debate about the financial commitment necessary to have a truly world class education system. Schools and colleges were under immense financial strain even before the pandemic.

“Merely talking about recovery is far too narrow. ‘Recovery’ implies a return to what we had before, which is simply not good enough. Now we need to build a system that is stronger and fairer than the one we know.

"We have a generation of ambitious young people, full of hope and demanding of change. Those who want to govern our country must be bold enough to propose something truly ambitious and world-beating.”

NAHT has put forward an education blueprint for the future, which urges policy makers to focus on seven key areas:

• Prioritising Early Years funding and support
• Improving support for mental health and wellbeing
• Investing in the teaching profession
• Providing targeted academic support for pupils who need it
• Expanding extra-curricular provision
• Investing in technology
• Removing unnecessary accountability and bureaucracy.