Harrow Green Party

Zack Polanski and the National Education Union's annual conference 2026, "We need real transparency and real accountability" "Schools grounded in local communities" "And staff treated well and paid properly" "Between now and the general election I will be setting out more details, our plans to fix education in this country" "But crucially, I'll be doing a lot of listening to those who know our education system inside and out, and know what's needed to give every child the education they deserve" "Standing here speaking to you today is a reminder of what's possible in this country if the political will is there" "It's also a reminder of what's at stake" "I marched with so many of you this weekend at the Together Alliance" "I know so many people are deeply afraid of the rise of the far right in this country" "It feels fitting to come from there a couple of days ago and to speak to you now" "Because education is at the heart of how we defeat the far right" "So much of the dissatisfaction, the tension, the conflict we're seeing in this country, is the result of a political and economic system that has stretched our communities to breaking point" "They're told us that there's no alternative" "That things can't get better" "But the crisis we face from the climate emergency to the increasingly unstable world around us require a redoubling of our ability to image different, not the crushing of it" "The first and most fundamental step to building a better world is being able to imagine, because then, we have the courage to take the steps to build" "That ability to imagine, to create, to think about things in a new way, that's the very best of what education gives us" "That's what you give children every day. It's your gift, not just for them but for the entire world" "And it is my job, every single politicians job, to give you what you need to do that the best way you can" "We need proper pay. Better conditions. More accountability. Less exams" "Let's teach our kids to dream again" "Those who oppose an educated population, throughout history, try to destroy people's imaginations" "They tell us there's no alternative, you prove every day there is. In your classrooms, in your staff rooms, in your union" "You are already building a different future, a future where every child is seen, where every child is supported" "And if we're serious about tackling the climate crisis" "If we're serious about building a fairer country" "And we are serious about the future, then we start with you. Let's fund it properly" "Let's trust teachers" "Let's make hope normal again"