Warrington South MP Andy Carter says education reforms since 2010 have raised standards in Warrington South schools resulting in better outcomes for young people.
Discussing with Education secretary Gillian Keegan MP, the Conservative politicians reflected on the latest round of Ofsted inspections which show that every school in Warrington South is now rated ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’, up from 72 percent of local schools in 2010. The achievements make Warrington one of the best performing areas for schools in the UK, outperforming the national picture, with 89 percent of schools rated ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted, up from 68 percent fourteen years ago.
Last year the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), the international measurement of 15-year-olds’ mathematics, reading and science ability conducted by the OECD, similarly showed schools in England continuing to rise in the rankings. Maths surged to 11th, having risen six places since the last PISA results in 2018 and up from 27th place in 2009. English schools also placed 13th for both reading and science, having ranked 14th and 13th respectively in 2018, and 25th and 16th in 2009.
The Education Secretary also remarked on the increased uptake in apprenticeships in Warrington since 2010, saying:
As well as making sure that everybody gets to go to an excellent school, we’ve also trained 13,000 apprentices in Warrington South, making sure that they have all the routes into a fantastic career. Under Labour all this progress would be put at risk, as every step of the way they’ve rejected every single one of [the Government’s] educational reforms.
Andy Carter MP subsequently commented:
Education is at the forefront of my priorities, not just as an MP but as a parent myself. I try to visit a school in Warrington South every week, to meet with the teachers and the pupils to hear firsthand about their achievements, as well as for them to raise any issues where I can support them as their Member of Parliament. I’m delighted that 100 percent of schools in Warrington South are now rated ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’, up 28 percentage points since the Conservatives took office.
A big part of ensuring our young people can achieve good results is for them to have the best modern facilities which create a safe and engaging learning environment. That’s why, for example, I’ve been working so closely with Penketh High School to secure £6million from the Schools Rebuild Programme, and it was brilliant to have the Education Secretary visit for herself to see how this funding is being put to use.
“I’m also keen to make sure young people are aware of all the career pathways they can pursue once they leave school, both academic and technical. We’ve seen a massive surge in apprenticeships since 2010, with over 13,000 new starts in Warrington South alone, as part of 5.7million nationally over that same period. I’m looking forward to once again hosting my jobs and apprenticeships fair in April, totally free for pupils, parents and anyone local looking for work to come and talk to employers about the options available to them and their children.
The Warrington South MP’s jobs and apprenticeships fair will take place on Friday 19th April at the Parr Hall in Palmyra Square, running from 10am to 2pm.
