Theresa Villiers has issued a general election campaign update on schools and early years education:
“At every general election, the parties need to set out what they would do to provide opportunities for children and young people. Giving Barnet children the best start in life has always been one of my goals as MP and that would continue if I am re-elected.
Supporting our local schools is a key part of the plan I’ve been taking forward. I pay tribute to all the staff who make Barnet’s schools some of the best in the country.
School funding
When school headteachers told me about funding problems, I pushed hard for more money, raising this with successive Education Secretaries, Schools Ministers and Prime Ministers. I was able to secure a number of increases in funding, most recently in November 2022, when I appealed to Jeremy Hunt for higher school budgets, and he then delivered that in his Autumn Statement.
Spending on schools is now at its highest level ever in real terms. We are providing £2 billion extra funding this year and next, increasing the school budget to £59.6 billion in 2024-25, fulfilling our pledge to take per pupil funding to record levels.
Since 2010, we have recruited an additional 27,000 full time equivalent teachers in England and we are now offering £30,000 starting salaries to attract and retain the best teachers.
Maintained nursery schools and early years education
I fought successfully to save Barnet’s three maintained nursery schools. This type of school is unusual in that they are state schools covering the early years. In 2017, these schools lost out because of changes to the funding allocation formula. In most places, they were given supplementary funding to tide them over until a new settlement could be worked out, but Barnet’s three schools were excluded from this.
So I ran a five year campaign to get them the budget they need. That included petitions handed in to Downing Streets, debates in Parliament, and many many meetings with Ministers. As a result of discussions with Rishi Sunak, in 2022 I was finally able to get the Government to agree that supplementary funding would be maintained permanently, that it would be increased, and that it would be extended to cover Barnet schools for the first time. That saved our maintained nursery schools.
The biggest ever expansion of free childcare
The evidence is clear that the early years play a key part in determining people’s chances of succeeding in life and I am determined to help parents access the best childcare and support.
I know that the cost of childcare can be a struggle for people in Barnet, especially during this recent period when inflation has put pressure on family budgets. I raised this with the Chancellor of the Exchequer and Downing Street, and that helped secure the announcement in last year’s Spring Budget of the biggest ever increase in free childcare.
Once it is fully implemented, this will give 30 free hours of childcare to eligible working parents from when their child is nine months old up to when they start school. The first stage was delivered in April, with eligible working parents of two-year-olds now able to access 15 hours of free childcare per week.
Parents will also be reassured to know that the Conservatives have also just announced a bold plan to reform Child Benefit so parents can earn a combined £120,000 before they begin to lose it. This is a tax cut worth an average £1,500 a year and should help with cost of living pressures.
Setting up great new schools and raising school standards
The Conservatives innovative free schools programme has enabled many excellent new schools to be established.
In the past, I have backed campaigns to set up some great new schools in Barnet, including Jcoss and St Andrew the Apostle (the first ever Greek Orthodox secondary school).
I have also helped a number of schools get new buildings and facilities such as East Barnet School, Alma Primary, and Cromer Road.
Thanks to Conservative education reforms (opposed at every stage by Labour) 90% of schools are now rated as good or outstanding.
Standards in schools have risen significantly since 2010. In the international PIRLS rating of reading ability, nine and ten year olds in England are ranked fourth out of 43 comparable countries. This makes them the best of any Western country.
A worldwide PISA study on education attainment published in December shows 15 year olds in England have risen to 11th in world rankings in maths, reading and science, compared to 27th under the last Labour Government.
I am a longstanding supporter of supplementary schools for minority communities. I have helped a number of Greek supplementary schools with issues they have raised with me over the years. I persuaded Ministers to step in to stop the proposed abolition of Greek A Level. If they could no longer offer that exam, many Greek supplementary schools would have had to close.
In conclusion, much has been achieved to improve educational opportunities but there is more to be done. Please give me your support on 4th July so I can continue the plan to support our great schools in Barnet.
