Throughout my time as the local MP, I have been one of our local education sectors biggest advocates, supporting them locally, while also lobbying in Westminster for greater funding, support and resources to ensure areas like Mid Norfolk are not left behind, but rather get the assistance they need to ensure local youngsters, whatever their background, get the education they need and deserve.  

That’s why, as part of my ongoing work to speak up on behalf of the sector (and further to my webstory post last month – see here), I met with a number of local Mid Norfolk headteachers yesterday – the first meeting of a regular online forum I hope to hold with our local school leadership moving forward.

The meeting was an excellent opportunity for me to hear first-hand, and in more depth, about the challenges facing our local schools – confirming much of what I already knew and have been raising, but also shining a light on new issues that I am now keen to follow up on.

I have undertaken to raise the feedback shared with me yesterday with the Secretary of State and Schools Minister, along with their officials, as part of my continuing dialogue with the Department for Education ministerial team. I will also be flagging many of the same points with the DfE’s Regional Commissioner for the East when I speak with him again later this month.

Rest assured, I am determined to keep speaking up on behalf of our local schools and their staff – in order to ensure they are being heard at the highest levels and that Mid Norfolk gets the support it needs to be able to deliver the very best education for our youngsters.

I also look forward to the next meeting of this important new forum, and to continuing the conversations that have already been taking place via my regular schools visits and through email correspondence in the weeks and months ahead.