It was great visiting St Neots School in Eversley recently, to meet Year 7 and 8 pupils, and their dedicated teachers.
I took their super questions and offered some insights into what I do in Parliament – and right here in North East Hampshire.
I’m proud of our local schools here in North East Hampshire – whether state or independent – and it is important that both sectors thrive. If any independent school was to close as a result of Labour’s proposals to levy VAT on education, there wouldn’t be any extra tax collected (20% of £0 = £0!) and taxpayers would suddenly have a huge bill in that area to build extra classrooms and pay for extra teachers at our state schools.
I want every child to get the very best start in life and access quality education, which is why I’m proud that funding for state schools in our corner of the county has increased by £8.5 million – in real terms, taking account of inflation – since I was elected 2015. And, as a result of this funding and the hard work of all involved, our school results are better than ever before.
The choice is clear. We need to stick with the plan that is working, which will deliver a brighter future for you and your family. The alternatives take us back to square one.
