The Government is axing funding for the International Baccalaureate (IB) without warning or consultation. The ill-considered decision means state schools and colleges will not be able to deliver the IB from September 2026.
Bexley Grammar School, which became one of the few state schools in the country to focus solely on IB teaching, is among 19 schools in England badly affected. The decision will disrupt pupils' education and undermine one of Bexley's successful schools.
The IB only costs the Department for Education £2.5 million a year, out of its £100 billion budget. The Government doesn't need to scrap public funding and disrupt the education of more than 5,000 pupils nationwide.
That's why I'm backing the Save the IB campaign and asking parents, pupils, and family and friends of those affected to sign my petition. I'll write to the Secretary of State for Education on behalf of all who sign.
I've already raised the issue with ministers, but they don't understand the impact the decision will have on schools like Bexley Grammar. By signing my petition, you can help focus ministers' attention on the issue so they'll think again.