Working for Constituents - Pupils

Securing our children's needs

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Like last year, education has been high on my list of priorities. I have visited many local pre-schools, primary schools, secondary schools and colleges, and I have been impressed by the hard work and dedication of teachers, parents and governors across the whole spectrum.

The number one issue remains cash. While we have secured substantial new capital funding for extra classrooms to reduce primary school class sizes, many schools are worried that Government has not guaranteed to make up the revenue shortfall caused by requirements to reduce numbers. This will be a major battle for the next 2 years.

Willows Playgroup Saved

I was delighted to be part of the campaign that saved the Willows Playgroup from closure threatened by Kingston Council.

This New Malden playgroup is a very special facility, with expertise in care and education for young children with special education needs and with English as a second language. The work Willows does saves local primary schools time and money, by catching problems at an early stage.

Secondary School Places

This year I helped initiate a special working group to look at the lack of secondary school places in the Borough. Our studies once again showed the problems caused by the Greenwich Judgement, which prevents the Council giving preference to local families in local schools. Labour has copied the Tories in rejecting our efforts to overturn this damaging decision.

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