Aug 22, 2008
Labour Fails Reading’s Poorest Children
Liberal Democrats in Reading have accused Reading Borough Council of failing the most disadvantaged children in the town, following a highly critical report issued this week.
The report, compiled for the Campaign to End Child Poverty and published by Save the Children, placed Reading 6th from bottom in England in terms of the GCSE performance of the poorest children. Only 22.4% of children entitled to free school meals gained five or more good GCSEs in Reading, compared to more than half of similar children in top-performing boroughs such as Kingston Upon Thames.
Cllr Kirsten Bayes, Lib Dem Spokesperson for Education on Reading Borough Council said, “These figures give the lie to Labour’s boasts about Reading being a Learning City. It can be a great place to learn, but only if you are lucky enough to have wealthy parents and access to private tuition.”
Cllr Gareth Epps, Lib Dem Group Leader on the Council and Parliamentary Spokesperson for Reading East said “The children taking their GCSEs today were in reception class when Labour took office in 1997. There has been a Labour Council in Reading all through this period. One has to wonder what benefits the poorest children have received from Labour.”
He went on, “We want a Government which will tackle the educational divide. Liberal Democrats would directly link funding to children from deprived areas, to make sure they get the increased and personal support they need. Our poorest children should get a much fairer deal from our education system.”
Editor’s Notes:
A summary of the report’s findings are available from the Save the Children website
