Vera Baird

Labour Party | Redcar

Local MP congratulates local school for big boost in results

Vera Baird QC, Member of Parliament for Redcar, today congratulated Eston Park School on being one of the 100 schools with the most sustained improvement in the whole country.

Official school by school results for the whole of England published today show that Eston Park increased the number of pupils getting five or more GCSEs at A*-C grade including English and maths rose from 34 per cent in 2006 to 57 per cent in 2009 - an increase of 23 percentage points.

Vera Baird said:

"I'm delighted that Eston Park has seen such a big rise in its results – not just last year but over the last three years.

"It's the one of the largest sustained increases in the country and a testament to the hard work and dedication of all the pupils and staff at the school, including the head-teacher Jim Rogers."

Labour's Schools Secretary Ed Balls said:

"Congratulations to all the pupils, staff and governors at Eston Park School. This is a great achievement which everybody involved in the school can be truly proud of and I hope Eston Park will go from strength to strength in the years to come."

But Vera Baird QC MP said that comments by the Conservative Party's schools spokesman, who this week claimed there had not been any improvements in schools, were an "insult" to the achievements of teachers and pupils in Eston.

Speaking in the House of Commons this week, the Conservative schools spokesman Nick Gibb MP claimed: "we have not seen improvements in our education system despite the billions that have been spent".

Vera Baird QC MP added:

"Thanks to extra investment and the hard work of teachers and pupils, there has been a revolution in our local schools. But the claim by the Conservative schools spokesman in the House of Commons this week that there has been no improvement in the education system is an insult to local schools, teachers, pupils and parents. He should come to Redcar and Cleveland, see the huge change that's taken place over the last 12 years and apologise for his offensive and out of touch remarks.

"As teachers and parents know we can only keep improving our local schools and supporting the aspirations of all young people by keeping up the investment.

"While Labour will continue to increase schools funding in real terms every year, the Conservatives are committed to immediate cuts to local schools if they win the election this year. That would turn back the clock on all the improvements of the last decade and would be a disaster for local schools. It would mean losing the teachers and teaching assistants who make our schools work and is the last thing our area needs or wants."