With one of the most closely fought UK general elections in history being decided on the battle grounds of immigration, the NHS and the economy this week, Tony Blair’s famous 1997 rally cry 'education, education, education' seems like ancient history. But what are the education election pledges from the main parties in this most unpredictable race to the finish?With news last month that Nick Clegg would demand control over education in any coalition agreement and a manifesto commitment to big education spending, it seems the Lib Dems are attempting to claw back some credibility after a failure to fulfil their 2010 election pledge to fight against university tuition fees.Labour are going all out to put the coalition government’s controversial Free School and Academy programme into reverse with tighter local authority regulation and an offering of better vocational routes to learning.The Conservatives have pledged to continue their education reforms started in the last parliament under former education secretary Michael Gove, and have warned that all failing or coasting schools will be turned into academies under a Tory government. They have also promised to open a further 500 Free Schools by 2020.UKIP’s biggest call to action for education is the return of the grammar school, while The Greens have spoken passionately about returning free university education.Labour have also been vocal on tuition fees and have vowed to reduce the maximum that universities are allowed to charge per year from £9,000 to £6,000 while UKIP would scrap them completely for those students wishing to study STEM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering, Maths).As part of their commitment to equality and social care the Liberal Democrats would like to offer free childcare for all two-year-olds. Labour’s contribution to the childcare agenda is a promise that all primary schools must guarantee access to childcare from 8am to 6pm.The Lib Dems and Labour have latched onto the controversy of unqualified teachers working in academies and Free Schools under a Tory government and have promised to take steps to ensure that only fully qualified teaching staff will be allowed to teach classes in state schools.But it is in their spending commitments where the parties really differ. Labour have promised to ‘raise the schools budget in line with inflation’ and the Conservatives have pledged to ‘protect’ education spending. But with pupil growth expected to be 300,000 by 2018 neither of the two opposing parties are laying out how they will meet the needs of the growing need for primary school places and beyond. By contrast, the Lib Dems have promised an additional £2.5 billion for two-19-year-olds in education by 2020, but the prospect of complex coalition deals and a commitment from Nick Clegg that he will not compromise on education spending means we could be in for lengthy negotiations after the polls have closed on May 7^th.For more Re:locate news and features about education click here

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