It was a privilege to share a panel with Damian Hinds MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Education, and Paul Church, Chairman of the Conservative Education Society at Conservative Party Conference in Birmingham. We discussed priorities for policy in the coming years, as well as achievements in Government. The panel was hosted by the NEU's Daniel Kebede and chaired by Schools Week's Samantha Booth.
It is clear the Conservative record on education has been significant and advances in reading and standards in schools must be maintained. E.g. England is rated 'Best in the West' for reading among 9-10 year olds according to the 2023 PIRLS - https://www.gov.uk/government/news/england-among-highest-performing-western-countries-in-education.
We also discussed the reforms to Teacher Training, to extend training periods, as well as the investment in advanced qualifications (NPQs), which have benefitted over 50,000 teachers. (https://buyingforschools.blog.gov.uk/2023/06/05/free-funding-available-…)
There were many questions to the panel, which included how to target teacher recruitment and retention, as well as ensuring the curriculum is broad and offers enrichment for all children. As always, it was a privilege to have the opportunity to listen to questions about how our education system can best deliver for the future.