I am often asked by fellow local residents about what life as an MP is like. Yes there is the legislation and being on hand to help residents in need, both of which form a core part of what I was elected to do, bit to this I add a third important role, being a cheerleader for Swindon.
Just yesterday we had the Schools Minister, David Laws, visit Sevenfields in Penhill at my invitation. I first visited back in 2011 and was so impressed I wanted the Minister to come and see, to see Swindon leading the way.
Sevenfields is special because the odds are so against it. 100% of its pupils are classified as living in poverty and children enter nursery typically 12 months behind the average for their age group. It is also special because the outcomes are so impressive.
The school is the master of early intervention. Its two community rooms run sessions for babies, toddlers and their mothers twice a week. Here, the children have early contact with paediatricians and play specialists whilst the parents get the parenting support many need. This is key in closing the gap. Children may enter nursery lagging far behind the national average, but by the time they hit KS1 they have caught up.
The education at Sevenfields is one that tackles not just the academic challenges the children face, but the social ones too. The children build real independence, a respect for, and relationship with, the local community. Volunteers from the Penhill Luncheon Club come to read with children to help get them reading on their own. The children have been out with the local Housing Wardens, helping to spot graffiti and other problems in their community.
I talked to them about what they wanted to be when they grew up. Their ambitions ranged from lawyers to teachers to dentists, ambitions that draw from a confidence and independence that the school has encouraged in them. This is what I brought the Minister to see, this is what Swindon should be proud of.
Last week the Disabilities Minister, Esther McVey visited SEQOL Enterprise Works, again at my invitation. Why? Because like Sevenfields, they are doing something different, something well, something that gives some of Swindon’s most vulnerable people a real chance and something that Swindon should be sharing with the whole country.
We are no sheep of a Town, quite the reverse. Swindon is leading, from Sevenfields and Enterprise Works through to the first hydrogen fuel station in the UK. We have a lot to be proud of. You will never catch me talking Swindon down and I am proud to show the world just what our Town can achieve.
