Sam Townend for Bristol North West

Local Conservatives damaging plans for education in Bristol

On the eve of Labour’s Party Conference one Labour candidate for MP in Bristol has described the Conservative Party’s plans for secondary education in Bristol as “misleading” and “damaging”.

The Tories’ plans for secondary education in Bristol are raising false expectations of a new school in Stoke Bishop and by initiating that campaign they are failing to support other local schools undermining recent improvements made.

Sam Townend, prospective MP for Bristol North West, said:

“Tories in Bristol have been falsely holding out the hope to residents in Stoke Bishop, Westbury-on-Trym and Henleaze, of a new secondary school at Stoke Lodge.  Bearing in mind that, if elected, they are pledged nationally to make swingeing cuts to the Schools Budget (calculated to be about 15%) this is not a promise that they can live up to or have any intention in doing so.  They are misleading local residents about what can be achieved.  Though there have been some increase in numbers there is still an over surplus of state and private school places in Bristol.  Putting money aside, until that over capacity is filled there is no scope for a wholly new secondary school in the North of Bristol.

More importantly what does this campaign say to parents and staff of nearby schools in Henbury and Shirehampton (Oasis Brightstowe)?  These two schools, which still have spare capacity, have both seen recent improvements, strong headteachers and a proven determination and capacity to improve their results.  A new school in nearby Stoke Bishop would act as a hammerblow to these schools.  If the Tories’ proposal were to succeed it would reduce the intake in these schools, snuffing out all improvements, damaging in the long-term more of Bristols’ young people than it would benefit, and it could even force one of them to go through a protracted closure wiping out the life chances of a generation of North Bristol children.  I hope Tory Councillors in Henbury and Avonmouth wards will support their local school and state they are against this proposal. 

All state secondary schools in Bristol have been re-built or massively refurbished over the last ten years.  Politicians of all stripes should not cause the waste of this investment, but should support existing schools and not do them down.”