Four candidates are vying to become Epsom and Ewell’s MP as the UK goes to the polls on June 8.

This week, the Epsom Guardian will be introducing the candidates and sharing their views on health, education, the economy, the environment, and Brexit, as well as their local priorities.

Transport secretary Chris Grayling was the constituency’s most recent representative, before the dissolution of parliament relinquished MPs of their duties.

He will be defending a majority 24,443 against Labour candidate and train driver Ed Mayne, Liberal Democrat Steve Gee and the Green party’s Janice Baker.

Here are your four candidates’ views on education:

Chris Grayling, Conservative

Your Local Guardian:

“I think our local schools have benefitted from the greater freedoms that schools now enjoy, and I am pleased that there are now more than 1.8 million extra pupils in good or excellent schools than in 2010.

“I want to see us provide the extra school places that are needed, and to ensure that we have world class technical education.”

Ed Mayne, Labour

Your Local Guardian:

“Theresa May’s plan to bring back grammar schools is an ideological vanity project that every voice in the education community is united against.

“The evidence is out there and Theresa May is choosing to ignore it - grammar schools in England do not boost overall attainment.

“I believe each child should go to a good school that nurtures their aspirations and that meets their individual learning needs.

“We are fortunate to have excellent schools in Epsom & Ewell. Investment that the last Labour government made reduced primary school class sizes to 30.

“But underinvestment by the Tories is putting pressure on schools to increase their class sizes.

“The Tories have closed hundreds of Sure Start centres across the country and there is no guarantee that those in Epsom, Ewell, Ashtead and Tattenhams won’t be closed too.”

Steve Gee, Liberal Democrat

Your Local Guardian:

“The Tories continue to claim that they are investing more money than ever in education.

“This is true but takes no account of the tens of thousands of additional pupils that are now in the system. This actually represents huge cuts to school budgets.

“Primary schools will receive £399 less for each pupil in coming years while secondary schools face cuts of £477 per pupil.

“Our policy is to protect school funding in real terms, from early years through to college by protecting the amount of funding per pupil.

“The Tory cuts have led to Head teachers writing to parents asking for contributions and proposing cuts to teacher numbers and even four-day weeks.

“Rather than trying to improve opportunities for everyone, the Conservatives are only interested in expanding grammar schools for the few and diverting funds into expensive new free schools, often in areas that don't have any additional demand.

“We would ensure that the money for these projects was diverted to properly fund the schools in the main system expanding them where required. “

Janice Baker, Green

Your Local Guardian:

“Education is a right, not a privilege, to be provided free to people of all ages. That means scrapping university fees, writing off current student debt and making good any shortfall in university funding as a result of Brexit.

“We need to reverse school funding cuts, ditch wasteful and divisive grammar school plans and integrate free schools and academies into the local authority school system to ensure democratic accountability.

“By ending the stressful SATS testing regime, resources could be better used to support child-centred learning, building on their skills and interests.”

What do you think? Comment below, or get in touch at craig.richard@london.newsquest.co.uk