Whitehall Meeting
Mayor Dave Hodgson, portfolio holder for
Children’s Services, Cllr David Sawyer, and Chief Executive, Philip
Simpkins, joined 35 of the Borough’s Head teachers and the local MP
at a meeting yesterday with Secretary of State for Education,
Michael Gove, to press for investment in the borough’s schools.
In the weeks prior to the meeting with the
government, the Council arranged a series of meetings with each of
Bedford Borough’s school ‘clusters.’ These meetings were arranged
by the Council in order to listen to the aspirations of the schools
and to strengthen the shared vision for driving up standards within
and across all of the Borough’s school pyramids. Yesterday’s
meeting, which was supported by the council, saw that vision
presented by the Head teachers to the Secretary of State.
Cllr David Sawyer, Bedford Borough Council’s
portfolio holder for Children’s Services, added: “The meetings we
have held with representatives of each of the Borough’s school
clusters have been extremely positive, proving that we have an
incredibly strong basis for our joint, ongoing task of driving up
standards. As a Council we are working closely with heads and
governors to help achieve our shared goal of raising standards, and
I hope that the conviction and unity shown in the meeting yesterday
has helped enlist the Government to that cause as it comes to
consider its capital funding allocations.”
Commenting after the meeting, Mayor Dave
Hodgson said: “The Head teachers did Bedford Borough proud in
making a powerful, passionate case for investment in our schools.
It was fantastic to see the Head teachers showing the Secretary of
State that there is a real, shared sense of purpose between the
Borough Council and the schools to drive up standards for all
children and young people. We will continue to work closely with
all schools to draw in the investment from government that our
schools require and that current and future generations of local
children deserve.
Mike Berrill, Chair of Bedford Borough
Learning Exchange (BBLE) said: "I was very proud to be part of this
strong delegation of Head teachers, the Mayor, portfolio
holder and the Chief Executive. We came together on the day and
through a range of powerful presentations made a
compelling case to the minister for extra capital funding for the
borough. Whatever the outcome, we emerged from the meeting as a
united and focussed group of professionals than we have ever been.
As someone who has worked in Bedfordshire for 33 years, I thought
it was an historic day for education
in the town and I am sure that
it will give us a renewed sense of energy and
purpose in the coming months".