Lib Dem education spokesman: children are underachieving in Southend schools
The Liberal Democrat spokesman on education, MP David Laws, made a visit to Southend on Monday 15th June.
Mr Laws was welcomed at Blenheim Primary School by the two Liberal Democrat candidates for Southend, Peter Welch and Councillor Graham Longley, as well as three local head teachers. He also gave a speech on Liberal Democrat education policies.
Mr Laws said that the Liberal Democrats believe that too many children leave school with a record of underachievement, and that Labour policy of “constant testing and micro-management of schools” had failed to tackle this.
Mr Laws went on to say that within Southend, the education system is struggling with the Borough Council has introduced single-status schools, which, he claims, leaves many schools with difficult decisions on staffing.
Liberal Democrat policy, Mr Laws said, was to provide more funding for schools to take pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds, whilst giving schools the freedom to use these funds as they saw fit.
