Justin Brings Ministers To Swindon For Schools & Libraries Visits

Yesterday I was very pleased to welcome Nick Gibb MP, the Minister for Schools to Swindon after I had invited him to come and see some of the excellent progress being made in two of our local schools.

At Swindon Academy, the Minister was very impressed with the Grammar Stream programme which provides the opportunity for 30 pupils each year to master their academic talents through a challenging and rigorous curriculum. The pupils who have come from all over Swindon, benefit from a partnership with Marlborough College to deliver an academic curriculum which sees the students finishing the school day at 4.30pm.

We then visited Nova Hreod where the extremely passionate head teacher Darren Barton is making a real difference to the ethos of the school. As with Swindon Academy, myself and the Minister were able to meet with pupils and teachers who were able to highlight to him some of the challenges which the schools have overcome and I am delighted we were able to have productive discussions on how other schools can take away important lessons from the example set out by the United Learning Multi Academy Trust.

Both schools have undergone a real transformation in recent years. Ruth Robinson at Swindon Academy is delivering great improvements with 61% of students achieving 5 grades of A* to C (including English & Maths) at GCSE level in 2016, a rise of 21% from 2014. Similarly Nova Hreod have been praised by Ofsted for making good progress and have seen the percentage of its students achieving 5 grades of A* to C (including English & Maths) at GCSE level rise from 31% in 2014, to 63% in 2016. Both schools are turning themselves round, in large parts down to strong and determined leadership. I was very pleased to be able to showcase both schools to the Minister who was delighted to have been able to come and witness the progress.

We also had the libraries Minister Rob Wilson MP visit Swindon as he came to meet with myself and Swindon Borough Council.  I have been actively working to find constructive ways to protect our network of local libraries so this was a good opportunity to further explore innovative options. There is still much work to be done, but I am encouraged that the future of our vital libraries is looking a lot more positive.

In Parliament, we welcomed a Green Paper on a new modern Industrial Strategy which will support growth in Swindon and the South West to create new high skilled positions for local people. The strategy will create the conditions where businesses can emerge and grow (even more) across Swindon. Local businesses and workers have the chance to contribute to this vision. To do so I would encourage them to get in touch with me. Finally, most people will have seen the Supreme Court’s ruling on Article 50. Since the referendum last year, I have enjoyed meeting with residents from both sides of the debate and I am glad that the Prime Minister in her speech last week outlined a new, constructive partnership between Britain and the EU. I will continue to respect the wishes of the British people, and the decision of people locally, to make Brexit a success.