Articles and Speeches

Back to School
08-Sep-06, Windsor Express Article.

Many parents will be breathing a sigh of relief this week as the children start on a new school term! Although, I suspect, some children may feel a little disgruntled that school must intrude upon the enjoyment of the summer holidays, I hope that the thrill of a new school year, combined with meeting old friends and making new ones, will compensate for the loss of freedom to some degree.

But for some children and parents in Windsor, the start of the new school term will be a worrying time. Many parents have written to me over the years because they are unable to get their child into a school of their choice or, even in some cases, the same school as their siblings.

Under the current system, parents are often forced to send their children to a school some distance from home. And yet they are barred from applying outside of a particular catchment area and there are also strict limitations imposed which prevent popular schools from expanding. Not only are pupils sometimes educationally disadvantaged they are often taken away from their friends, which can be bring added stress at an already difficult period. The upheaval can also cause a logistical nightmare for parents, who must deliver their children to school before heading out to work.

It is reassuring that some of the best schools in the country are to be found in our area, but it must now be time to allow parents, pupils and schools more flexibility and choice. So, for this reason, I welcome some of the measures contained in the new Government Education Bill and hope it is not undermined by the current battles within the parliamentary labour party.