Ashfield MP says children are the ones who suffer most from education cuts

Recent weeks have seen thousands of hard-working teenagers pick up their A-level and GCSE results, writes Gloria De Piero MP.
Gloria De Piero MPGloria De Piero MP
Gloria De Piero MP

I congratulate everyone who has had exam success and want to reassure anyone who didn’t get the results they wanted there is always a plan B.

Knowing how essential education is to social mobility, it was extremely disappointing to read that the money that the Government gives schools to help students who need more support – the pupil premium – has been cut in real terms.

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The pupil premium has been left to stagnate at 2015 levels, even though inflation has risen and that amount of money does not buy now what it did then.

Estimates suggest that around £140 million has been lost from pupil premium funding as a result – and of course it is schools in more deprived areas which miss out most.

In addition, schools are facing further real terms budgets cuts from the Department for Education for the first time in a generation, with around £2.8 billion lost from school budgets since 2015.

At last year’s election, the Conservatives vowed to protect the pupil premium, but they have gone back on their word and it is the children who will suffer.

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When are the Tories going to start looking after someone other than themselves?

I was contacted by several residents earlier this month when some travellers illegally set up camp on the recreation ground on Hardwick Lane in Sutton.

As soon as I am notified of a problem such as this, I immediately contact the relevant authorities on residents’ behalf to ensure that appropriate action can be taken as soon as possible.

On this occasion, Ashfield Council employees took the action needed and the travellers moved on.

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If residents ever have any similar problems, if they drop me an email or call my office, then I will make sure that whoever it is who is responsible for dealing with an issue, knows about it and can rectify it quickly.

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