In response to the Liberal Democrat manifesto for the 2024 general election Paul Whiteman, general secretary of the school leaders' union, NAHT said:

“There is a growing consensus that single-word judgments are neither helpful for parents and pupils, nor constructive for schools. We welcome the Lib Dem’s manifesto commitment today to provide a more rounded approach to school inspection. 

“Parents are battling against a patchy, postcode lottery to get the right SEND support for their children. The NAHT has long called for children to get the fully funded tailored support they need, and a new body for SEND support could be a good way to resolve this.  There is also recognition that additional investment and capacity building in support services for pupils with special educational needs is essential to relieve the pressure on school budgets.

“Teacher recruitment and retention must have an urgent reset – as schools scramble to attract the talent they need. The commitment to a workforce strategy and a review of the way the pay review body works reflects the asks set out in our own manifesto at the start of the pre-election period.  This must be accompanied by meaningful workload reduction measures for leaders and their staff.

“The manifesto also includes sensible measures to ensure a register of children who are not in school is finally established, a recognition that many of the attendance barriers families face lie beyond the reach of schools to address alone, and ways to broaden the curriculum.”