Education – Full Fact

18 November 2024

Appears on track

Government Tracker

How many of the promised 6,500 ‘new expert teachers’ has the government recruited?

By Hannah Smith • 4 mins

We look at Labour’s manifesto pledge to recruit 6,500 “new expert teachers in key subjects”. Read

Gov Tracker

2 October 2024

Conservative leadership speeches: fact checked

By Full Fact Team • 4 mins

Conservative leadership candidates Kemi Badenoch, James Cleverly, Robert Jenrick and Tom Tugendhat set out their stalls in a series of speeches at the 2024 Conservative party conference. Read

Analysis

20 September 2024

Education

Are student loan repayments really ‘the cost of a pint of beer’?

By Hannah Smith • 4 mins

We’ve crunched the numbers after a claim on the Today programme from former Labour cabinet minister Alan Johnson. Read

Fact checks

6 June 2024

Has the percentage of good or outstanding schools risen to 90% under the Conservatives?

By Sian Bayley • 3 mins

It’s technically accurate that 90% of schools are rated good or outstanding, up from 68% under Labour, but changes to the way schools are inspected mean these figures should be treated with caution. Read

Fact checks

4 June 2024

ITV Sunak V Starmer Debate: fact checked

By Full Fact Team • 6 mins

The first TV debate of the 2024 general election has taken place, with Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer going head-to-head. Read

Fact checks

30 May 2024

BBC Question Time, 30 May: fact checked

By Full Fact Team • 5 mins

We’ve taken a look at five claims made during the 30 May episode of BBC Question Time, including from the Conservatives, Labour and Reform UK’s honorary president Nigel Farage. Read

Fact checks

1 May 2024

Does Conservative London mayoral candidate Susan Hall want to ‘cancel’ free school meals?

By Hannah Smith • 4 mins

We’ve looked at the claim from Labour ahead of this week’s mayoral election. Read

Fact checks

19 January 2024

Economy, Business & Finance

Overall cost of pandemic support was around £370 billion

By Hannah Smith • 4 mins

We’ve looked into claims by Dame Andrea Leadsom MP about the number of Sure Start centres open in the UK, and the amount the government spent on support for businesses and workers during the pandemic. Read

Fact checks

15 January 2024

Education

Severe absence among school pupils in England increased by 26% last year, not 134%

By Hannah Smith • 3 mins

A since-corrected article in The Spectator about pupil absence contained a number of inaccurate figures. Read

Fact checks

17 October 2023

Education

Government data doesn’t show 125,000 children ‘never going’ to school

By Hannah Smith • 3 mins

The figure, which appeared in a column published in The Times, seems to be based on government data showing the number of children who missed at least half their school sessions last autumn term. Read

Fact checks