Education spokesman

One of my passions in politics has always been education. So I was naturally pleased when Charles Kennedy asked me to shadow the Department for Education and Skills.

So much of what we want for ourselves, our families and community and our world comes down to improving education. Whether it’s a cleaner environment, a healthier nation, a more prosperous economy, a better quality of life or a safer community, education plays a key role.

We all stand to benefit, in other words, with successful policies for education and skills.

So how have things been going in recent years?

To listen to Ministers, you’d think everything has been turned round since 1997.

There have been improvements. The investment we long argued for has begun to appear – in terms of better buildings and more resources like books and computers. There is evidence of rising standards.

Yet there is much more to do.

One staggering statistic is how few young people stay on for formal education or training post-16. Out of the 30 richest countries, Britain comes an appalling 27th.

Our class sizes are still too large in many schools. Nearly 10% of schools have discipline problems. We still have shortages of headteachers and specialist teachers – in subjects like Maths, English and Modern Languages. We don’t give enough support to children with special needs.

So there’s plenty of things to challenge Ministers on in the Commons.