We all recognise that getting things right for children can pay dividends throughout their lifetime, whether through as parents and carers ourselves, or through services provided by local authorities such as education and children’s services.  

I was very pleased to see that West Sussex County Council had been recognised by Ofsted in their recent inspection, as having made major improvements in the services it provides to children.  A couple of the very welcome findings included that most children coming into care make good progress and that Early Help support is making a positive difference to children’s lives.

While there is still more to do, there has been significant additional investment made in the County Council’s children’s services, coupled with effective leadership that is determined to ensure that children get the best start in life.

There is good news too in education.  Last week, it was announced that England ranked fourth internationally for primary reading.  There is no denying that high literary standards spread opportunity and subsequently contribute to economic growth further down the line.  In fourth place, England is in fact ranked highest in the Western world in this global survey, having risen nine places in the global league tables for maths and reading since 2015.

There is further good news in education in that we are seeing more schools nationally rated as Good or Outstanding by Ofsted.  This figure now stands at 88% of all schools, up from 68% when Labour were last in power.  This progress is being mirrored by schools here in Crawley which is great to see.

The Conservative Government is providing £2 billion extra school funding this year and next.  The next financial year of 2024-25 will be the highest spending year in history for our schools, with the total schools budget being £58.8 billion.

There is always more to do but I do feel we are going in the right direction.  You don’t have to look very far to see the alternative.  Labour run the Welsh Government and their education system is well below the rest of the UK, according to international league tables.

Councillor Duncan Crow, Leader of Crawley Borough Council Conservative Group

24th May 2023