Campaigning against the Education cuts that hold our children back
Supporting residents with a Local Education Service from cradle to grave
Helping people back into Employment using our local Work Zones
1. The Tory Government’s policy of austerity has hit school budgets hard. We will continue to oppose school cuts and campaign for better funding for our borough’s schools and education support services.
THE TRUE COST OF SCHOOL CUTS IN CHESHIRE WEST
Research by the NUT suggest 135 of 140 local schools will face cuts. The average class size in Cheshire West and Chester has increased since 2014/15. The loss in school funding between 2015 and 2020 is -£11.8M (-£286 per pupil).
2. Labour wants Cheshire West and Chester to be
the best place for children and young people to
grow up. To enable this, we will:
3. We are opposed to the forced academisation of local schools and, together with our Labour members of Parliament, we will campaign for poorly performing academies to come back under Local Authority control.
4. We will be innovative in supporting local
schools by:
GETTING THE BEST START IN LIFE
Labour believes every child deserves to be given the best chance to achieve their full potential. Over the last four years we have ensured our children’s centres remain open and we have developed an innovative 0-19 years “Starting Well Service”. We have worked with childcare and early years providers to ensure families can access services that prepare their child for school. We have also developed a strategy for closing the gap in educational attainment by working with a schools and other organisations, and by implementing a Child Poverty Strategy to make sure we take an holistic approach to tackling the causes and impact of poverty.
5. Children with special educational needs deserve
the best start in life. We will support this by:
6. We will work with Higher and Further Education partners to provide the best education and training opportunities.
7. Labour will work with young people to improve
our offer for them, so:
HEADING FOR 100%
Currently over 90% of children attend a ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’ Ofsted-rated school in Cheshire West. We want to make this 100% but we recognise government cuts have led many of our schools being underfunded. Cheshire West remains one of the lowest funded education areas in the country. National structures means some poorly performing academy schools are not addressed swiftly enough and school improvement systems are fragmented. We will continue our efforts to lobby Ministers to properly fund and support our schools whilst working with all education partners to get the best outcomes for local children.
INCLUSIVE EDUCATION
We recognise some children and young people need extra support. Children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) deserve equal learning opportunities and experiences as those children without these needs. That’s why we will work alongside parents, carers, schools and children to ensure young people with additional needs are identified and supported appropriately, and that all schools in Cheshire West and Chester are consistently inclusive.
8. We will work with colleges and employers to create better access to training and post-16 apprenticeships, enabling young people to be work-ready for job opportunities in our borough.
9. Our Work Zones, which provide integrated employment support for residents, have delivered 3,540 qualifications to date, and supported more than 2,500 people into work. We will continue to help more people back into work, and we will help those experiencing low pay into better paid employment.
10. We will set an example as a local employer by: