Working Hard for West Suffolk's Schools

MATTHEW IS FIGHTING FOR A SECONDARY SCHOOL IN BRANDON AND IXWORTH/STANTON

Matthew has been working hard to keep a secondary school in Brandon and in either Stanton or Ixworth –on the site of the closing Middle Schools.

In the Thurston area Matthew supports the proposals from the Thurston Partnership which are out for Consultation, including a Free School on the site of the closed Blackbourne or Ixworth Middle School. Matthew and fellow local MP David Ruffley have met with and won the support of Michael Gove, the Secretary of State for Education, who pledged his support for continuing post-11 education.

 Matthew is keen to hear from as many parents and constituents as possible as the consultation goes forward. A campaign group to fight for a Free School is already being formed, and if you would like to get directly involved, please contact Matthew directly.

In Brandon, the parent-led campaign group SABRES is near completion of its application for a free school. From 2012 onwards, the children of Brandon would have had to travel ten miles by bus to get to school from the age of eleven. When the Free School Policy was announced, SABRES seized on the opportunity to set up a Free School in the buildings of the current middle school.

 Their application has the strong backing of the local community, and has progressed quickly through the initial two stages of approval by the department of education. It was given an extra boost by the visit earlier this year of David Bell, the Permanent Secretary at the Department of Education, which was a fantastic chance for him to see the potential of the plan and for SABRES to talk to one of the country’s leading figures in education. You can read more about Mr Bell’s visit to West Suffolk’s schools here.

 The proposal is now going through the third stage of the application process, and is progressing well. After seeing the impact that the Free School policy has on a local community, Matthew has written an article for the Conservative website, which can be read here.

Matthew welcomed the consultation document, and commented: “My priority is to support the future of school children in West Suffolk, specifically to ensure the future of a school in Ixworth or Stanton, and for a free school in Brandon.  I am pleased with the tremendous progress already made, and I will consult with constituents and keep up the pressure for these free schools. They will be vital for the future of local communities, and I urge everyone to support them.”

 MICHAEL GOVE TO VISIT HAVERHILL

Matthew is thrilled that the Secretary of State for Education, Michael Gove, will be in Haverhill on Friday 21^st October, where he will visit the Castle Partnership schools and the Samuel Ward Academy. Matthew will take the opportunity to show off the achievements of Haverhill’s schools and impress on Mr Gove what is needed as the schools move forward through this academic year.

 OTHER NEWS

In September, Matthew visited Place Farm Primary School. More details of his visit and his reaction can be found here.