Education is about more than knowledge. It's vital to our future economic success locally and nationally. It really is the golden flower in the money garden. A person with qualifications is much more likely to have a job - with 89% employment rate in the UK for a person with a higher education qualification, 79% for upper secondary education but only 53% for those below these levels. And a more qualified person gets more pay too. If someone with a good upper secondary education earns, say, £100, a person with a higher education qualification gets £158, while people who have not achieved good upper secondary qualifications have to make do with £67.
We do well as a country, yet we are simply not achieving our full potential. Not socially, not personally, not economically. Our achievements - nationally and individually - have not been helped by the level of the skills and knowledge we have. Britain lies in the middle of the international tables for educational qualifications. 30% of our population have few or no qualifications. Another 40% have some qualifications, yet could benefit from higher and stronger qualifications.
In this, of course, our schools have an important role to play. Thanks to Conservative education reforms more schools are becoming academies. Astor College in Dover and Castle Community in Deal have both achieved this. Vocational education is increasingly important though and must not be forgotten. K College has been making real progress here. Vocational education is necessary to provide the skills required to get a well paid job. It is a key element of the Conservative knowledge revolution that Charlie Elphicke would like to see.
There is a much wider agenda here too. We should have a revolution in apprenticeships, making diplomas work, increasing the autonomy of colleges and setting vocational qualifications with employers in the driving seat.
Charlie Elphicke believes that skills training must be aimed at what employers want so that a person can get a job. It would make a real difference in Dover & Deal where the skills base is not as strong as we would like to see.
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I am interested in the two schools you have selected to mention. May I ask by what criteria you decided to mention the two schools chosen? What are your views on selective education please? You haven't mentioned that, which is strange in this county.
- J. Tomsett
Look closer, Charlie. This part of Kent's schools are mediocre at best. Primaries are not providing the vital building blocks; secondaries are 'streaming out' everyone who they think won't get 5 GCSEs; SEN numbers are exploding with no properly linked provision and 'inclusion' and 'differentiation' are meaningless terms at the 'chalkface.' There is no true accountability at any level. Who is running KCC Education?
- School Governor
The two schools were doing interesting things that I wanted to show off to the Shadow Secretary of State . . . I'm quite proud of our community! The way the system currently is, there are grammar schools, faith based schols, secualr non grammar state maintained schools, independent schools and city academies. I think they are all great as they allow parents a wide choice to get the education they feel best for their kids. The thing that's missing are more vocational schools - the "Technical Schools" of the 1945 Butler Act. Seems to me they'd add to the ability of parents to choose what's best for their children. SEN is best handled with special needs catered for on the same school site where possible, but not necessarily in the same classroom.
- Charlie Elphicke
Being a governor at a community school (which offers and specialises in vocational courses at KS4 and 5) I am appalled that the 'school governor' has such a negative impression - we certainly don't 'stream out' and I am proud to be part of a school which is fully inclusive. We all benefit from thinking about how we interact with others that may be different from ourselves. I presume the rhetorial question at the end of 'school governor's' comment is more a reflection of personal politics than empirical evidence - you have at least three OUTSTANDING schools (Ofsted) within a radius of approximately 15 miles. I am glad you are proud of that Charlie, as you should be, especially as they are all completely different. Get out there and visit them ASAP to feel even more proud. Be proud of the collaborations and clusters that you will find too. Please don't let education become an also-ran,because it is thriving and something to be proud of here.
- J Tomsett
Sorry you're appalled. I am also a parent of more than one pupil in the area(neither school is 'Outstanding' ), a potential local employer and....a Tory voter. I would be interested to know more about how Charlie's 'catering for SEN' will actually work on the ground. And at the risk of again offending J Tomsett, few mainstream schools hereabouts haven't got the faintest idea how to serve children with learning difficulties. They haven't got the resources either. No good dumping it onto part time SENCOs. Wake up. Stop pretending...
- School Governor
I am writing to you as your constituent to bring to your attention a matter of some concern and urgency. I believe that the Government’s plans relating to 'faith schools' outlined in the Academies Bill will have far reaching negative effects on the freedom of parents to choose an appropriate school for their children. I am particularly concerned that the Bill could significantly increase religious discrimination in our school system. The Bill will allow Academies run by religious organisations to have much greater flexibility over what they teach, with few effective safeguards to ensure a balanced curriculum. As the government has acknowledged in debates in the Lords, there is even a risk that creationism may be taught in state-funded schools. I am also concerned that the Bill will give existing ‘faith schools’ even greater freedom to discriminate against both pupils and staff on religious grounds. This practice frequently leads to division and segregation, seriously undermining community cohesion. A poll conducted by ICM this week found that 72% of the public are concerned the Academies Bill will lead to public money being used to promote religious beliefs. It also found that 67% believe religious Academies should be required to teach about other beliefs, including non-religious ones. As your constituent I would ask you to attend the Bill’s Second Reading and Committee stages in the week commencing 19th July and to table or support amendments to address these issues.
- valerie rees
as a student in the Upper Sixth at Dover Grammar School for Girls I have recently applied for university, however as I plan to take a gap year I will not begin until 2012. Therefore imagine my horror when I heard that 2012 would be the year that higher fees were introduced! As a student from a two income family I will receive no government grants and will have to pay for all of my tuition myself. You may feel that I can afford to pay £9,000 a year without assistance because of my parents' income, however unfortunately this is not the case and the rise in fees has made me strongly re-think my future plans and question whether or not I truly want to go to University. I am hoping to attend Nottingham University, which I believe is the University you went to, the only difference between our University experiences is that I will be saddled with £40,000 of debt and your education was free. As the slogan on your website states, "What matters to you, matters to me" I hope you will vote for what the people want, rather than the minority - for tuition fees to remain the same.
- R. WILLEY
Last May you attended my school Dover Grammar School For Boys which I am still currently at. I was very impressed with your policies especially your ideas on the port being owned by the people of Dover. Despite the fact the majority of students you spoke to couldn't actually vote, you made an effort to inform and represent us. As you are probably aware recent news of tuition fees have caused much anger and resentment amongst my particular age group. This is why i have brought it upon my self to make a plea to you. The trebling of tuition fees is not fair as higher Education, as you put it, should allow many like me "to achieve their full potential". However paying £9,000 for one year of tuition is too high for many students and their families. We as a generation should not be punished, education should be ring fenced against cuts and the current economic situation. I believe that you attended Nottingham University and payed very little, if anything, for your education. I don't suggest I pay nothing for my education as i feel it is right to give something back to society. Hopefully I can have your support that you will vote against the rise. Please do not be influenced by your party's overall belief, as you are a strong individual that has the power and courage to fight for what is truly right. Give something back to us which helped allow you to be a successful MP.
- Elliot
I am writing to express my concern that in the 'Statement of Intent 2010 - Addendum (The English Baccalaureate)' document, Religious studies has not been included as one of the Humanities options. What concerns me is that the ommission could be seen as indicating that Religious Studies is less important than the other Humanities subjects, which is untrue. We live in a multi-cultural society, and it is imperative that our children learn about the beliefs and practices both of belivers and of non-believers. Religious studies is vital in avoiding prejudice, and promoting community cohesion and respect. As an important subject equivalent to any other of the Humanities options, it deserves the same curriculum time, and the same exam. Religious studies is an extremely popular GCSE choice, increasing in poularity year on year, and should be included in the English Baccalaureate. You are right in your statement that "Education is about more than knowledge", but it is also more than just "ensuring our future economic success". It is about ensuring that our children develop enquiring minds, that they can make informed decisions, and that they come to realise that for many, many people in this world there is more to life than simply earning more and more money.
- Joanna Coe.
I would like to pick up on the previous references to Religious Studies, and particularly the reference to Creationism. I was horrified to learn that Creation is taught as a historical fact in many schools in the USA and that more people there believe in creation than evolution. As previously stated, Britain has become, for better or for worse, a "multi-cultural" society, with people of many faiths or no faith. In order to create and maintain a coherent society it is necessary for children to be taught about all of these belief systems equally, without any religious bias. When I was at school in the 1960s, Roman Catholics were excused from morning assembly and had their own, separate, morning service. They also took their "Religious Knowledge" classes separately from the majority "Anglican" group (there was no opt-out for non-believers!). We learned nothing about other religions - we were taught in the same way as we would have been at Sunday School: basically Bible Study. This was not a faith school - it was the local Grammar. I hope things have changed over the years! I don't think that religious studies in any form should be an examination subject for all pupils at GCSE - it should just be a part of a general, all-round education.
- Bill Beer