Member of Parliament for South Shields

Shields Gazette 2007

Putting Education First

Firstly I would like to congratulate all those students who picked up their A’ Level results last Thursday – I hope you achieved the grades that you wanted.  Much has been said about the standards of exams in recent years – but I firmly believe that we should be celebrating these achievements.

This Labour government has invested heavily in education since 1997.  The number of young people now leaving school with no qualifications has been slashed, there are now 36,000 more teachers delivering high quality lessons – so it would be a travesty if results did not improve.  The QCA monitors standards and their independent committee has reported that no exam system in the world is as carefully regulated as our A’ Levels. 

Our students know that hard work delivers good exam results.  More passes mean more young people gaining qualifications which will open the door to new opportunities.  As MP for South Shields, I have always strived to ensure all our young people have every possible opportunity to succeed at school.

Core subjects such as Maths, Science and Modern Languages are proving popular again, and the number of pupils taking these subjects has increased.  In the case of maths there has been a 14% rise in uptake since 2004.  This government recognises these subjects are of crucial importance to the UK economy and wants to accelerate this trend over the coming years.

The government is also committed to broadening choice for our young people, that is why Labour has trebled the number of apprentices from 75,000 in 1997 to 225,000 today.  The new Diploma development is on track and I am convinced that this new qualification, with its innovative blend of applied and theoretical learning will offer the opportunity to develop a specialism and provide a valuable addition to the choices that young people have to make, both at 14 and post 16.

Let us be under no illusions, standards in our schools and colleges continue to rise thanks to the hard work and dedication of the pupils and their teachers in ensuring that they are fully equipped to achieve the best results they possibly can.  This Labour government will continue to invest in education to ensure standards continue to rise.

Once again, congratulations to all those who were successful last week.  I hope those awaiting their GCSE results don’t have a sleepless night tonight – Good luck.