Edward Boyle, minister for education in the early Sixties, was once given a dressing down by the chancellor over his budget submission: why hadn’t he asked for more money? Boyle, rather taken aback, said he only needed what he’d asked for. Then, as now, education spending was regarded as a form of gesture politics but Boyle’s attitude is the one that Justine Greening, the education secretary, should follow ahead of next week’s budget. Our schools do not need more money.

It will take courage for the government not to give what amounts to protection money to the union lobby. The School Cuts website, largely led by activists from the National Union of Teachers (now merged into the National Education Union or NEU), made local and