Local officials of 2 education unions -the NEU and UNISON – met with West Wight Labour MP Richard Quigley on 28th May to discuss inequalities in the primary school closure process.
The previous month the 2 unions – together with Unison – had written to both Island MPs stressing the need for a fairer process between local authority and non-local authority schools with regard to closures.
According to the unions concerned, the Island experience had shown a bias towards allowing non-LA schools to evade their responsibilities’ in the primary school closure process.
The teaching unions had stated :
“The system for closing schools fairly and for the greater good has failed. Indeed, it has made the situation worse.
“We believe, we will be victim to the same system next year as rolls are still falling and in subsequent years as pupils move into the secondary system.”
Following the meeting with Mr Quigley, Peter Shreeve of the National Education Union (NEU) stated:
“Mr Quigley was sympathetic and promised to talk with MP Stephen Morgan and Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education) to see whether a possible amendment to the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill were possible.
Article continues below this advertisement “If not, if schools don’t have to play with the same rule book, any future school closures will be flawed. National government must act on this issue.”
The meeting between Mr Quigley and representatives of the teaching unions lasted longer than the scheduled 30 minutes. This allowed the raising of further issues:
- education funding and poorer funding for coastal schools, especially on the Island.
- SEND funding and the delay and lack of concrete progress with the planned building of the Social, Emotional, and Mental Health (SEMH) school in Carisbrooke.
This Government have made more cuts in under 12 months
than the Tories made in 14 years.
They will always be remembered for the party who
cut the Winter Fuel Allowance – us voters never forget!
Thank fcuk it’s June and NO MOW MAY is over.
when walking on the grass you don’t know whether you
are walking on dog sh*t or not.
Get the grass cut and sort the schools and sort the Ferries.
Ooh, a new soap box. Ever considered just using a path?
When I walk through parks or on greens with the
dog, I am not on a path.
Just more excuses to save money to pay for the
Councils lucrative pensions.
Obviously you have money to throw away.
No Mow May in my world = No Council tax May
Lol
So you want everything clipped within an inch of its life. The Edward Scissorhands of Seaview. God help us
Richard, have you sorted out the ferries and dentists yet? You said 100 days….
I think he meant in his last 100 days of being in office.
Lol
It’s the Isle of Wight. You can’t rush these things