MP attacks £24m schools windafall
LABOUR HITS OUT AT TORY INVESTMENT IN NORTH EAST SCHOOLS
The funding announced today is nothing compared to the funding that has been cut from Sure Start centres
Labour accused the Government of failing North East children after Education Secretary Damian Hinds launched a £24million improvement programme.
as revealed in yesterday’s Chronicle, Mr Hinds announced funding of £12million to help children make the transition from primary to secondary school, drive up standards in secondaries and improve results for pupils in further education.
and he announced another £12million to improve early career training for new teachers and help improve the quality of teaching and raise standards in the region’s schools.
but angela rayner, Labour’s Shadow Education Secretary, said: “The Education Secretary is right to say that children in the North East are missing out, but this is the result of his own government’s policies.”
Labour highlighted a study from the National Education union, which represents teachers, which shows schools in the North East are facing a £50million cut between 2015 and 2020.
The figures are disputed, with ministers arguing funding is higher than ever. They take into account increasing costs on schools, which have not been matched by increased funding.
Gateshead’s Labour MP, Ian Mearns, said letters sent to MPs suggested the funding would be concentrated in Northumberland, Hartlepool, redcar and Cleveland and Middlesbrough.
He said: “I always welcome investment for the North East, but why they’ve picked those particular areas I don’t know.”
a report by think tank the Social Market Foundation found regional inequalities in school results “have remained stubborn and in some cases worsened over the last three decades.”
The report, published in 2017, said: “areas such as the North East, Yorkshire and the Humber, the West Midlands and the East Midlands have persistently under-performed, falling behind whilst London’s performance has improved.”
Ms rayner said: “The funding announced today is nothing compared to the funding that has been cut from Sure Start centres, schools, and colleges across the region. The
Tories are trying to say that austerity is over, but the reality is that schools are still facing a funding crisis after eight years of deep and damaging cuts. “Instead of tinkering around the edges, the next Labour government will genuinely end Tory austerity, investing in every part of our education system in a National Education Service for the many, not the few.”
The project is called opportunity North East, and Ministers said it is designed to tackle issues that are specific to the region, which had the lowest percentage of young people going to top universities in 2017.
It will help children make the transition between primary school and secondary school. a recurring problem in areas where secondary results are poor is children who do well at primary school but struggle once they reach secondary school.
The project will also encourage schools to collaborate with each other. The North East will become the first region in England to implement more support for newly-qualified teachers to encourage them to stay in the classroom.
Young people in the North East will also be encouraged to apply to the best universities.
The project was endorsed by Nick Hurn, head teacher at Cardinal Hume Secondary in Gateshead. He said: “I’m really excited about the opportunities that this new exciting initiative and significant investment will bring to our region.
“Everyone now needs to work closely together to create, develop and implement a coherent and effective plan that harnesses this initiative in a way that will improve progress, raise attainment and add value to our young people’s life chances.”