Much has already been written about grammar schools in the hours since Theresa May announced her snap general election this morning - and she will no doubt make it a key pledge once the campaigning gets underway.
No doubt a Tory party victory would strengthen Ms May’s hand when it comes to rolling out more selection (if it’s a manifesto commitment, the House of Lords is obliged to nod it through), but the real electoral battlefield when it comes to education could just as likely be funding.
Already there are signs that Labour will want to turn it into an election about public services - and after the NHS, schools will be a high priority when it comes to landing Jeremy Corbyn’s message.
And the Lib Dems will do likewise - when they’re not busy telling the world that they’re the party of the 48 per cent.
Vince Cable (remember him?) has already announced that he will be putting school cuts right at the heart of his campaign to win back the Twickenham constituency he lost in 2015.
How will the Conservatives respond? Currently all senior Tories parrot the tenuous line that “education spending is at record levels” - despite schools feeling very real real-term cuts and the independent National Audit Office identifying a £3 billion hole in the Department for Education budget.
Hollow claims about funding
Back in 2015, the Conservatives went relatively unchallenged when they put in their manifesto that they would continue to “protect school funding” - and the “amount of money following your child into school will be protected”.
It actually went further: “On current pupil number forecasts, there will be a real-terms increase in the schools budget in the next Parliament.”
In the two years that have followed, these claims have sounded increasingly hollow. Teachers, heads and their representatives have managed to break through to the general public’s consciousness that money in schools is now extremely tight.
How will Tories respond in their new manifesto and in their “campaign messaging”? Surely they risk becoming a laughing stock if they simply repeat the 2015 line? But what else can they do? Admit that cuts are biting and investment in education is being allowed to slide?
While the bulk of the media scrutiny over the coming weeks might be directed at Brexit, there will be a lot of potential voters - 14 million parents and 500,000 teachers - who will be very interested in what Theresa May, Justine Greening and all have to say about education funding.
Leaking school buildings, redundant teachers and shrinking curricula are unlikely to play well on the campaign trail…
Tes will be hosting a special general election Facebook live chat tomorrow at 5.30pm. Don’t miss it.
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