The Liberal Democrats would give the FE sector a £660 million boost to “protect” funding in real terms if elected, the party has announced.

The additional investment is part of a £7 billion education package promised by the Liberal Democrats, should they win next month’s general election. The five-year package would reverse cuts to fron line education budgets, the party has said.

A statement from the Liberal Democrats says that the money set aside for FE would “protect further education per-pupil funding in real terms” - even though the word “pupil” is not used in the FE sector.

The FE funding would be worth £65 million in 2018-19, rising to £195 million in 2019-20 and then £200 million in each of the following two years.

‘The biggest cuts in a generation’

Sarah Olney, the Liberal Democrats’ education spokeswoman, said: “Children are being taught in overcrowded classes by overworked teachers - but Theresa May doesn’t care. While funding per pupil is set to see the biggest cuts in a generation, billions of pounds are being spent on divisive plans to expand grammars and free schools. This extra £7 billion of funding would ensure no school and no child loses out.”

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