Schools Reform

Part of Opposition Day — [1st allotted day] – in the House of Commons at 2:41 pm on 21 November 2007.

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Photo of Andrew Slaughter Andrew Slaughter PPS (Lord Jones of Birmingham Kt, Minister of State), Department for Business, Enterprise & Regulatory Reform, PPS (Rt Hon Lord Malloch-Brown KCMG, Minister of State), Foreign & Commonwealth Office 2:41, 21 November 2007

Well, they are party political points, but that is because I have a terrible Tory council. There is nothing I can do about that. My electorate can do something in a few years' time, but there is nothing I can do at the moment.

The principal's report at our local sixth form college talks about the 14-to-19 strategy in the borough:

"Little, if any, progress was made on this in the borough during 2006-7 because of the council's ill-thought out attempt to close Hurlingham and Chelsea School and the ensuring planning blight whilst the school fought a seven month campaign to stay open. This resulted in a serious lack of trust between the council members and officers and secondary headteachers...With vital deadlines for the borough's BSF submission now imminent, there is a greater sense of purpose this year...However, there is further uncertainty resulting from the commission's recommendations, particularly the one to set up a new school on the Henry Compton site to include Fulham Cross Girls' School. Staff, governors and parents of FCGS are deeply unhappy at what they regard as a threat to girls' education, and may well mount a campaign to save the school."

That is an understatement. The report continues:

"In my view, we do not currently have the necessary collaboration or expertise in Hammersmith and Fulham to benefit fully from the opportunity BSF brings to create exciting and innovative schools for the future. Headteachers have urged the Director to use some of the funding to enable us to gain some additional external expertise."

Another head in the borough put it rather more succinctly:

"we all have concerns about the London borough of Hammersmith and Fulham at both Council and Officer level...I hope that something can be done to rescue education for young people in this Borough."

An unprecedented five head teachers and principals, all affected by these lunatic changes, have asked for an appointment to see my hon. Friend the Minister for Schools and Learners. I hope that he will agree to that—I am sure that he will—because the situation is at crisis point.