Rosie Wrighting MP: This Government is determined to give children the best start in life

‘Education, education, education’ was at the heart of the last Labour Government’s priorities, and I saw the benefits that gave me growing up locally with a single parent.

Now this Labour Government has put plans in place to break the unfair link between background and success and boost the education system again after years of neglect.

Since being elected in July I’ve visited five schools in the constituency and met pupils from three schools in Parliament – I can’t wait to visit the rest. What is clear is that we have many, many incredibly talented children who want to learn and I am proud of the action the Government is taking to help them and their families.

This year I have voted to fund free breakfast clubs which help children thrive academically and socially, give parents and carers more choices in childcare and support families with the cost of living.

I have also voted to cap the number of branded school uniform items schools can ask parents to buy, saving families money, and for measures to drive higher standards in schools. Labour’s Children’s Wellbeing & Schools Bill takes important steps to ensure we get excellent, qualified teachers at the front of classrooms across the Kettering constituency, teaching children a cutting-edge curriculum, as well as being the single biggest piece of child protection legislation in a generation.

But we haven’t stopped there.

The Education Secretary is overhauling school inspection and accountability, scrapping single headline Ofsted judgements because they meant high stakes for teachers and low information for parents. They will be replaced by new, comprehensive school report cards.

She also identified ‘stuck schools’ – those coasting despite receiving consecutive poor Ofsted reports – as the new front in the fight against low expectations. We have 90 of these schools in the East Midlands. I’m pleased to say the schools will be the focus of new ‘RISE’ teams, who will spearhead a stronger, faster system of improvement. The teams will be led by experts with a proven track record of delivering for children and backed by £20m in investment – up to £100,000 per school, where the Tories made only £6,000 available.

This Labour Government provided schools with about £1.1bn of additional funding for 2024/25 and funding will be increased by a further £2.3bn in 2025/26. From the volume of correspondence in my inbox I know that SEND is a huge issue locally, so I am pleased that almost £1bn of the latter is ringfenced for children and young people with complex needs. This is on top of another £126m in early years support funding announced last month.

Where you are from should not determine where you end up. This Government is determined to break down barriers to opportunity for children in Kettering and beyond.