“Great education is all about great teachers,” says Damian Hinds “and they’re achieving great things for this generation of children.” Education is ‘devolved’. While the UK government is responsible for England, the Labour-run Welsh government runs its own school system (and the SNP in Scotland). England is now ranked 4th out of 43 countries for the reading ability of primary-age children. That makes England’s children top-placed in the Western World. At secondary level, England has climbed the rankings since 2010, especially in maths. It’s a huge credit to teachers and everyone working in our schools. The government’s reforms have also played an important part. In England we’ve had a big focus on standards, phonics and ‘maths mastery’. Labour rejected our approach which sadly means that while England’s children’s results have been rising, Welsh children’s results have fallen. Sir Keir Starmer says the Welsh Labour government is “the living proof of what Labour in power looks like”. 9 in 10 schools in East Hampshire are now rated Good or Outstanding. School funding per pupil in England is the highest it has ever been.
