The government has presided over real terms cuts to school and college budgets and it is not an over-statement to say that education is now in crisis.

Colleges like Leyton Sixth Form College in my constituency, where 2,300 young people study, have seen no actual terms increase in their per-student funding since 2013.

At the same time, running costs have soared, leaving colleges running out of money and having to consider dropping subjects and extra-curricular activities and even cutting vital pastoral support.

Research from London Economics has shown that the rate needs to increase by at least £760 per student, per year to ensure that schools and colleges can continue to deliver a high quality education.

The #Raisetherate campaign is calling on the government to meet this demand for funding this year, and then increase the rate in line with inflation each year after.

I hope the government will listen to the hard-working educationalists calling for this, many of whom have contacted me with their concerns.

Regrettably, from ages four to 21 it seems to me that the government is still in denial about the impact that real terms cuts have on standards in education.

Just before to the 2017 general election, I contacted the Department for Education about the impact on local schools and the minister responding asked me to pass on advice to schools to make savings on photocopying and electricity.

I sincerely hope that they will look at the impact that their cuts have had and agree to #Raisetherate.