Letter to the Editor, Country Press - response on Tory school claims (Isle of Wight Liberal Democrats)

Isle of Wight Liberal Democrats <info@iowlibdems.org.uk>

Letter to the Editor, Country Press - response on Tory school claims

August 25, 2009 8:40 AM
By Jill Wareham - Liberal Democrat Prospective Parliamentary Candidate

Dear Editor

In response to Cllr Pugh's letter (21.08.09) I want to make it quite clear that Liberal Democrats want all schools to provide good education for all our young people. I believe that standards will rise when children transfer at age 11 thus making primary and secondary more accountable. I also believe we have many good teaching and non-teaching staff on the Island and we should treat them with respect and give them praise when due and support when necessary.

As a parent of three children who all went to local schools I know how important it is to be able to choose the school you feel is best for your child, more often than not it is the local (entitlement) school. The LA is reducing the admissions numbers in some secondary schools which will mean that some of the entitlement area children will not automatically get into their local school. I am not advocating large schools I am advocating schools that serve their community and reducing the admissions numbers will undoubtedly leave some children being placed in schools which are not local or their first choice.

All of the statements in my letter regarding admissions policy and numbers were drawn from the Isle of Wight Council's website and senior LA officers admit there will be an impact on the rest of the school system if there are Academies on the Island.

For the record: In 2005 David Pugh opposed the two-tier proposals saying "I am completely opposed to these changes and will fight tooth and nail against them."; in 2007 David Pugh supported the proposal to extend the middle schools by one year saying "Middle Schools will also be given the opportunity to flourish with complete ownership of Key Stage 3"; in 2008 David Pugh changed his mind again to support two-tier saying "......finally we now know in which direction we are heading." - well actually David the Lib Dems and their Independent colleagues had studied the facts and came to that conclusion five years earlier.

Cllr Pugh seems entirely motivated by whatever gains him the most votes - he is the one who has misled the public.

Yours sincerely

Jill Wareham

Liberal Democrat Prospective Parliamentary Candidate

(for clarification D Pugh's quotes: 2005 comes from Standards Not Tiers website; 2007 comes from letter to CP Feb 2007 and 2008 comes from One Island April 2008)