Transforming education has been among the greatest successes of the Conservative-led Government. Where teachers or parents are unhappy with the local education on offer for their children, or believe that it could be delivered differently and in a better way, this policy has given thousands of them the chance to make their dream a reality by opening new, ambitious schools in their local area that aim to deliver a better education for their children.
I have championed and led two such projects in particular over the last five years, and seeing Reading University Technical College (UTC Reading) and Maiden Erlegh Free School approved by the government have been among my proudest moments as your MP. UTC Reading is already open and has proved a great success. By equipping young people with the practical skills that employers will need and demand in the 21st century, Reading UTC is already a huge asset for our young people and our local economy.
Maiden Erlegh School has a tradition of outstanding academic success and providing a high quality education to its students. Its success has been recognised nationally as an example to other schools and teachers. As a result, the school is consistently over-subscribed, meaning many local parents and children in east Reading have missed out in the past on their first choice of school. Now that Maiden Erlegh has opened a second school in September 2015 under the free schools programme, thousands more children will benefit from the opportunity of a Maiden Erlegh education in the years to come. The new school will also help deal with the predicted shortfall in available school places that Labour allowed to develop.
But there is more to do. I was shocked to learn in early 2014 that by Reading Borough Council’s own admission, Reading’s primary school test results in reading, writing and mathematics had fallen behind those in almost all other areas of England, and were in the bottom five nationally. Thousands of Reading’s primary school pupils are being taught in schools rated less than “good”. In late 2014 OFSTED joined the criticism of Reading’s primary schools, citing concerns similar to those I have been raising for years.
No child left behind should mean just that. Poor school performance damages social mobility and harms children’s prospects in later life. If Reading’s children don’t acquire the necessary education and skills, it will damage their chances of getting a secure, well paid job in the future.
I don’t underestimate the huge challenges facing some of our schools and teachers, and I salute them for their hard work. But there is no excuse for the lack of ambition we’ve seen in the past. I will continue to strive and to work with anyone who can contribute to the goal of an excellent education for all children in Reading East.