When the last labor government took office in 1997, they did so with a simple mission: “education, education, education.” And their powerful offering of this promise has benefited thousands of people across Shipley constituency.
After 10 years of power, workers achieved record-breaking funds per student in the school, achieving a significant increase in teacher wages, an additional 170,000 teaching assistants, students leaving school with five excellent GCSEs, an eight-fold increase in capital funds.
Fast forward to 2025 and there is another labour management focused on investing and improving for all children across the country. But the new government unfortunately faces the challenge of addressing nearly 15 years of conservative cuts, decline and neglect.
Since being elected to a member of the Shipley Constituency last July, I have visited several local schools. From holding Christmas card competitions with kids at Myrtle Park Elementary School to deliver democracy and politics meetings to students at Titus Salt School in Baildon, interacting with both staff and students at our school is one of the aspects of being an MP that I enjoy most.
But the most visible visit in my mind was that I had to go to Elwick Elementary School last December. In 2023, a vast portion of the school building was closed after it was discovered to have been constructed using reinforced autoclave aerate concrete (RAAC). This is a lightweight material used primarily between the 1950s and 1990s, when safety experts stated that “it could collapse with little or no notice” beyond their lifespan. The result was that 300 students were moved to a large temporary classroom complex set up on the school grounds.
Enduring such confusion is unacceptable for young children who are still in the early stages of development and learning. Looking at it, it felt like a physical manifestation of 14 years of government inadequate investment and myopia. The issues that could have been alleviated by powerful and prompt action have been exacerbated by the committee doing the public accounting committee, known as “shocking and disappointing.”
Since joining Parliament, I have voted for new laws, including rolling out free breakfast clubs for primary schools across the UK. It ensures that all children have the opportunity to start school day ready for study. Under Tories, these clubs were available in only one in ten primary schools across the UK.
The new Labor Government and Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson make them accessible to everyone. The first wave will incorporate 750 primary schools, including 10 in the Bradford area, and 750 primary schools, including two in my constituency. Research shows that breakfast clubs can help children make two more months of progress in core reading, writing and mathematics skills, helping them improve attendance and behavior.
In January, I also voted in favor of the Children's Happiness and School Bill. The monumental law prevents vulnerable children from sliding the gap, bringing high-quality, qualified teachers into Shipley Constituency classrooms and strengthening the national curriculum for all students.
Overall, the new government is providing an additional £2.3 billion in school funding from 2025 to 2026, explicitly providing an additional £1 billion to improve regulations for children with special educational needs and disabilities, and knowing that hundreds of emails in my inbox through dozens of conversations at my gateway are a major local concern.
Your background should not determine your future, but with effort, everyone should be able to succeed in life. During our tenure, conservatives erode the progress made by the Labour Party in the 2000s when our education system was considered one of the best in the world. However, the new Labour Government is committed to rebuilding the foundation and once again breaking down barriers to opportunities for Shipley constituency and all children across the country.
