Stoke-on-Trent’s three MPs jointly met with Gavin Williamson, Secretary of State for Education on Monday at Stoke Town Hall to raise key elements of the ongoing plan to level up education in the city.
Jack Brereton MP of Stoke-on-Trent South, Jo Gideon MP of Stoke-on-Trent Central, and Jonathan Gullis of Stoke-on-Trent North all welcomed the Sec. of State in Stoke-on-Trent, followed by a visit to Stoke-on-Trent Sixth Form college, where the Sec. of State was also able to meet students and hear about their experiences.
During the meeting, they discussed the city’s secondary school capacity and the standard of local education, both of which need to continue to improve. This came alongside broader discussions on opportunities for young people in Stoke-on-Trent and the Government’s new Kickstart scheme.
The Kickstart scheme is a programme starting in early November, where young people on Universal Credit will be able to take up Government-funded job placements at a range of employers. It’s aimed at ensuring everyone can get the skills needed to get on the jobs ladder.
Jack Brereton said:
“This was an important meeting with the Sec. of State. We need to make sure the levelling-up programme for Stoke-on-Trent’s schools is on track, and this week the Sec. of State had the chance to hear what education is like here in our city and how we can continue to improve. It is vital that we continue to raise standards to ensure every child has the best start and has the skills needed to achieve their full potential in the future.”
Jo Gideon said:
“I am hugely grateful to the Secretary of State for listening to our ‘asks’ as the representative MPs for Stoke-on-Trent and for visiting the local Sixth Form College with me. Levelling-Up is the top priority on my agenda, and a key aspect of this is raising educational attainment and securing investment in education and for young people in Stoke-on-Trent. This visit demonstrates that the Government are looking to Stoke as an investment opportunity area, and I am excited by the possibilities we discussed.”
Jonathan Gullis said:
“I was delighted to see a commitment from the Secretary of State to work with Jack, Jo and I to drive up standards and outcomes in our local schools. Education is the greatest driver for increased social mobility and this will in turn see better high skilled workers of the future accessing higher wage jobs. Silicon Stoke is an opportunity for this and I hope we can see a UK leading Full Fibre Academy being set up in the future to harness out gigabit capability.”
