On Saturday evening, I was delighted to attend and take part in The High Sheriff of Wiltshire’s Annual Charity Concert in aid of Rotary Swindon Cares, at Christ Church here in Old Town.
This was Lady Lansdowne’s first event as High Sheriff, and it was a wonderful evening, which was thoroughly enjoyed by all who attended.
I was delighted to end the concert by singing a specially arranged version of “Prayer for Ukraine” with the Wessex Choir.
Each year, the proceeds of this annual concert go directly towards supporting local people, with charities such as Swindon Domestic Abuse Support Service benefitting. This local charity is committed to empowering and supporting all victims and survivors of domestic abuse here in the town; by providing a range of flexible and accessible services that promote positive change. The charity also provides a 24-hour helpline, which has proved to be a lifeline to so many people here in Swindon who are struggling with the effects of domestic abuse.
The retiring collection at the end of the concert also raised much-needed money for the Disaster Emergency Committee Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal, providing support to the people in Ukraine who have been forced to leave everything behind to flee the conflict. Providing necessities such as shelter, food, and water.
Back in February, Swindon was announced as one of the 55 Education Investment areas in the Government’s Levelling Up White Paper. Education is one of my key priorities as your local MP, and I am pleased that as part of this additional investment, which I campaigned for alongside North Swindon MP Justin Tomlinson, children here in Swindon will receive more focused early literacy and numeracy teaching.
Schools will also be able to more easily recruit trainee teachers attracted by new starting salaries of £30,000. It is vital that our children are taught by highly skilled teachers and can take advantage of modern technology, so I am further pleased that the White Paper has also pledged high-speed broadband in schools.
More details about the Government’s plans for Swindon, as one of the Education Investment Areas, were published yesterday. As part of these plans, I am glad that any child here in Swindon who falls behind in English or Maths will get the support that they need to get back on track, with schools providing targeted support through a range of proven methods including small group tuition. The White Paper provides a range of new measures including schools offering a minimum school week of 32.5 hours by September 2023. Ofsted will inspect every school by 2025, including the ‘outstanding’ schools which haven’t been inspected recently.
By 2030, all children will benefit from being taught in a school in, or in the process of joining, a strong multi-academy trust, which will help transform underperforming schools and deliver the best possible outcomes for children.
I am also pleased that at least £100m will put the Education Endowment Foundation on a long-term footing so they can continue to evaluate and spread best practice across the country, including here in Swindon.
Other plans in the White Paper to deliver on the mission for children’s attainment at the end of Primary and Secondary school include 500,000 teacher training and development opportunities by 2024, payments to recruit and keep talented physics, chemistry, computing, and maths teachers working in disadvantaged schools, and every school to have access to funded training for a senior mental health lead to deliver a whole-school approach to health and wellbeing.
When it comes to education here in Swindon, I will continue to fight to ensure that Swindon gets its fair share of government funding.
