Zack Polanski has promised to give teachers a big pay rise, scale back exams and get schools to combat the Far Right – using tax raised from the rich.
The Green Party leader made a raft of promises during a love-in with the National Education Union (NEU) at its annual conference in Brighton on Monday.
Pledging also to abolish Ofsted and overhaul the academies programme, he received more than 10 rounds of applause and as well as a standing ovation at the end.
Bosses at the Left-wing union said they invited him – the only party leader to speak – because polling shows the Greens are now the ‘most popular party’ among teacher members.
The party said the appearance was part of his pitch to ‘replace Labour’, kicking off a tour of other trade unions across the country.
Addressing delegates, he said: ‘We have a plan to tax the extreme wealth being hoarded in this country.
‘We need to make sure that money can flow around the economy to where it’s really needed, like our schools.’
The controversial leader, who describes himself as an ‘eco-populist’, said Labour had failed to lavish enough money on education.
He said it was ‘shrinking’ the horizons of young people in the UK and schools need a ‘serious cash injection’ to reverse real-terms cuts since 2010.
Mr Polanski said: ‘It breaks my heart to think of the children and young people who in 2026 could have their lives changed by education in the way that I did, but are right now having those doors slammed in their face because governments refuse to find the money.’
He pledged a Green party would give teachers a better pay rise than Labour, which has promised 6.5 per cent over the next three years.
Promising ‘proper pay’, he said: ‘Government after government has lavished praise on teachers, on the value of your work, and then refused to pay you properly.’
Setting out his party’s views on education, Mr Polanski said he wants more of a focus on teaching about the ‘climate crisis’, artificial intelligence and media literacy.
He also suggested schools could be instrumental in counteracting the Far Right, saying children should be ‘equipped’ to face this ‘challenge’.
‘Education is at the heart of how we defeat the Far Right,’ he added.
He also called for the abolition of Ofsted, which he called ‘a toxic, failed institution which is harming teachers and children’.
And he criticised Labour for presiding over ‘endless testing’ of pupils, calling for a ‘different approach’ which recognises learning that ‘can’t be measured only by standardised testing’.
Painting a Dickensian portrait of modern Britain under Labour, he said the ‘cost of living crisis’ had affected education.
‘I know every day you are seeing children come in tired, hungry, unable to concentrate and unable to learn because they haven’t eaten or been able to sleep,’ he said.
‘Kids missing school because they can’t afford the bus fare. It’s disgusting. It should disgust us all.’
He said the Greens would tackle this with ‘rent controls’ and ‘bringing water back into public hands’.
His appearance at the conference comes after the union developed a frostier relationship with Labour following the party’s election win.
Earlier this week, the NEU accused Labour of ‘failing’ pupils by underfunding schools.
It represents a contrast to the union’s conference in 2019, when then Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn received a standing ovation.
Tonight a Labour spokesman hit back, saying: ‘Zack Polanski will say anything to get a headline. Meanwhile Labour is getting on with the job. We’ve introduced free breakfast clubs, expanded free school meals, and extended government-funded childcare for parents.
‘At the same time, we’re reforming Ofsted, fixing the RAAC crisis we inherited from the Tories, and have hit teacher recruitment targets across STEM subjects for the first time.
‘Nearly half a million kids are also being lifted out of poverty, as we’ve scrapped the cruel two-child welfare cap. Labour is the only party willing and able to do that.’
