Local Member of Parliament, Kate Kniveton, has today (25/01/24) met with headteachers of Uttoxeter Pyramid. The Uttoxeter Pyramid is the group of First, Middle and High Schools in the town which are part of the Uttoxeter Learning Trust.
Headteachers in attendance were Jo Moult, St Mary's CE First School; Kay Hanson, Richard Clarke First School, Carl Gliddon, Oldfields Hall Middle School; Lisa Wilbraham-Jones, Windsor Park CE Middle School; Annie Grattage, Ryecroft Middle School; Julie Rudge, Thomas Alleynes High School; Rebecca Walker, The Saints Academies and Rachel Chandler, Tynsel Parkes CE First School. All came together to meet the local MP to discuss current issues in the education sector and the challenges facing schools in Uttoxeter.
Discussions included schools funding; workloads and mental health training for teaching staff; and securing more quickly Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCP) for children with additional needs from Staffordshire County Council. Headteachers also expressed a desire for more vocational opportunities for local young people, particularly in Uttoxeter and the surrounding area.
After the meeting, Ms Kniveton agreed to ask for a meeting with the Secretary of State for Education, Gillian Keegan, to raise the headteachers’ concerns.
Since her election, Ms Kniveton has successfully fought for a bigger share of funding for Staffordshire schools which had been historically disadvantaged from previous funding formulas. In Burton and Uttoxeter, schools are receiving an extra £2,854,697 in funding because of the highest real term spending on schools in history.
Commenting, Kate Kniveton MP:
“Having a positive working relationship with our local schools and headteachers has always been incredibly important to me as the Member of Parliament. It is good that headteachers are able to speak openly with me about the issues that are concerning them and that I am then able to raise those issues with Government minsters and the Department for Education.
“Locally, I am pleased to have helped secure record funding for schools here in Staffordshire, giving our young people the best start in life. I will continue to do all I can to support our local teachers and pupils ensuring they have the funding and resources they need for a world-class education”.
