Jon Trickett fights for schools as the heart of their community in Government’s Academies Bill
Local MP argued passionately in the House of Commons this week that ‘it takes a whole village to educate a child’ in seeking to amend the Coalition Government’s hastily drafted and harmful Academies Bill.
In the third reading of the Bill, Jon Trickett sought to amend it with the clause that in becoming an Academy, schools should maintain the level of community provision that had been brought about under the last Government.
Jon Trickett cited a number of examples from his constituency of schools, which were genuinely at the heart of their communities and provide outreach to people of all ages. The facilities at Minsthorpe and
Jon Trickett said:
I am appalled that this legislation has been rushed through in such a short space of time. The impacts of this Bill will be enormous, particularly for schools in constituencies like my own. I have seen firsthand the role that schools can play in regenerating their surrounding communities and I am incredibly proud of the schools in the area I represent.
A number of local teachers have come to me and voiced their concerns about the Coalition Government’s plans for education and this piece of legislation was just the first step towards diverting funds from the most deprived areas to the richest.
Under the last Government, schools had a relationship with the local authority that allowed them to build up services that would be available to anyone in the area. Schools such as Hemsworth Arts and Community College are open all year round in some form or another. Without this support from
Editors Notes:
Jon Trickett’s amendment, number 54 and accompanying speech can be found at http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201011/cmhansrd/cm100726/debtext/100726-0003.htm#10072640000699