Damian Hinds visits North East to find out concerns in region’s schools
The Secretary of State, Damien Hinds, visited the region on the 14th February to meet with schools and children in the region to discuss issues faced by education establishments in the North East.
Arranged by MP for Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland, Simon Clarke, school leaders and governors were able to quiz the Education Secretary on his thoughts on issues such as the north/south divide, mental health provision in the region and why the North East remains the only region bar London to not be in receipt of an Opportunity Area.
Linda Halbert, CEO of Teesside Learning Trust, said: “It was great to have the new Education Secretary in the North East and that this is one of the first places he visited (since taking up post in January 2018).
“We discussed the issues relating to low standards in secondary education and the issues surrounding current exclusion rates – this was one of the areas he told us the Department for Education was focusing on. Mr Hinds told us he recognises that there are many positives in relation to education in to the North East but he also recognised the challenges.
“He was keen to hear what we thought would make a difference to our area.”
Other school leaders were keen to press the Secretary of State for Education on the seemingly consistent negative media attention that the North East gets.
Peter Eyre, Executive Head Teacher at Saltburn Learning Campus, said: “I raised the issue of media attention and how if Mr Hinds wanted to support teacher recruitment and retention it was essential to manage this media negativity to feel the profession was supported.”
On pupil wellbeing, Mr Eyre said that Damian Hinds “noted he wanted students to be happy, and I emphasised that happy students do well, but are taught by happy teachers and the north/south divide continued to open up different challenges.”
Mr Eyre said that, when questioned about the challenging work, funding and cultural developments being less apparent in the North, and why primaries were doing well and that secondaries were not, Mr Hinds acknowledged the concerns that schools were being blamed for this when barriers for improvement were wider than the schools themselves.
When further challenged of a lack of a North East Opportunity Area, Damian Hinds acknowledge that “this was not helpful”.
In summarising the visit by the Secretary of State, Mr Eyre said: “Primarily the Education Secretary’s visit was a listening opportunity rather than a comment or speech lead session from him. He also didn’t mention selective grammar schools at all nor the formation of multi-academy trusts.”
Ms Halbert continued: “We are keen to see if he follows the discussion up with real support for our area.”