Children & Education

Children and Education

The current generation of children have been through a really difficult time.  Covid denied them their education and their friends, poor funding for their schools has left many children struggling to cope in the classroom and we cannot even guarantee children access to a dentist. 

Children will need the skills and resilience to fix the problems we have left them but for many years they have been let down

The world is a dangerous place for children – RAAC in school buildings, damp in so many homes, increasing knife crime and the impact of cyber bullying and the internet all impact on their lives.  That’s before we look at the wider world where they will have to clear up the mess of the past through climate change, international conflicts and mass migration, globalisation and the rise of AI.

We owe it to our children to consider their needs in every piece of policy making and that’s why we would create a Cabinet Minister for Children and Young People.  Whether you have children or not, they will be the adults that we all need to run our society.

But specifically for the younger generation these are my priorities: 

• Tackling the SEND crisis by capping the amount any council pays for specialist provision through a central fund
• Providing a qualified mental health professional in every school and increasing access to CAMHS
• Ensuring every child has access to free NHS dentistry and extend free school meals to all those on universal credit
• Campaigning to get profit out of children’s social care, so councils can properly support these most vulnerable children in care
• Supporting Youth Clubs and early support to help young people build resilience
• Ensuring all parents can access high quality, affordable, flexible childcare making sure the costs are fully covered for providers
• Working with groups like MYTIME Young Carers to give young carers an ‘Education Guarantee’ and right to a normal childhood
• Championing a broader education – supporting creative subjects but also young people who need a more practical education
• Reinstate maintenance grants for disadvantaged young students and reform the repayment of student loans