Starmer vows to address north-south education divide ahead of debate on Bill
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Sir Keir Starmer has vowed to address a north-south disparity in schools, as MPs are set to debate a flagship Bill aimed at driving up educational standards. The Commons will begin its scrutiny of the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill on Wednesday, which includes a tough new regulatory framework for teachers and measures to ensure all state schools follow the same pay and conditions.
The Government also plans to bolster child protection, with a new register of all home schooled children in England. In his first interview of the year, the Prime Minister told the Mirror newspaper, he was “very concerned about the disparity” between schools in the north and south of England.
“I am absolutely determined that every single child, whatever their background or wherever they come from, gets the same life chances. As every parent will tell you, including myself as a parent of two children, a girl and a boy, now 14 and 16, education is at the heart of that,” Sir Keir said.
He added: “On north-south, we must drive the same standards of excellence. It must not matter where in the country you’re at school. You must have the right and the same chances. But that won’t happen unless we drive through some of these reforms.”.
The Tories have accused the Government of “educational vandalism” with the Bill. Shadow education secretary Laura Trott accused Labour of being set on “tearing up everything that has driven up school standards”, amid fears that academies will lose freedoms that can help to recruit teachers and improve pupil outcomes in challenging areas.
