Brooklands College, Ashford Campus

Brooklands College, Ashford Campus, formerly Spelthorne College. Recent news of closure of the college was a real shock to me. I had written to the right honourable Lord Peter Mandelson at the beginning of July this year, and received a reply in August saying that the LSC would ensure that no college is unable to meet its financial obligations as a result of decisions that have had to be made on capital. It also stated that the project could be prioritised in preparation for the next spending round, and that the LSC and AoC were exploring ways for colleges to access private finance. I took this as positive news, and so the news that the governors of Brooklands College have made the decision to close the college was a real blow. With three of my four children having attended the Ashford college, and the fourth hoping to when old enough, I am in the same position as many other local parents of having no sixth form college in the borough, or within a decent travelling distance. Along with cuts to public transport, how on earth are these young people to access further education in this part of the county, especially as it will soon be compulsory up to the age of 18. Parents, children, and staff at the college, rightly feel badly treated by the government, the LSC, and to some extend the governors of Brooklands College. Retailers in the town also fear for the sustainability of the town if the college was to close, as it brings much trade to, and encouraged many new retailers into the town. There is as much concern about what will happen to the building, as there is about the future education of the children, with residents fearing apartments blocks being built in place of the college. It has also been said that if the borough planning committee had not taken so long to determine the application, the college may not be in this position, 6 months may have made a difference. But what is done is done, and the most important thing now is for all parties to find a solution, and one that is best for the young people and their education, they are our future. Perhaps if the Surrey MP's were not too busy fretting about their expenses, they might get together to help. Maybe it's time education was taken out of the hands of politicians, and run by local areas themselves? To listen to the interview on BBC Radio Surrey at 08:10 this morning, check on the BBC iplayer, or listen again on the BBC website/Radio Surrey.

Conservative Top Ten Schools Policies

1. We will change the law to make it easier for teachers to deal with violent incidents, remove disruptive pupils, and physically restrain disruptive children without fear of legal action.
2. We will change the law to give teachers a general legal power to ban any items they think may cause violence or disruption - a power the Government refuses to give because of human rights laws.
3. We will end the right to appeal against exclusion to an independent panel, which has sent children expelled for knife crime back to the school they were excluded from.
4. We will scrap the Standard Assessment Test at the end of the second year of primary school and replace it with a simple reading test so that every parent will know whether their child has been taught to read.
5. Heads need more control over staff pay and conditions. We will give all headteachers the power to pay bonuses to teachers based on teaching and dealing with violence, disruption, and bullying. Schools must be able to attract specialists - especially in reading, maths and science.
6. We will create 'Teach Now' to expand the number of highly qualified people in teaching. These graduates could learn on the job, like with the successful Teach First programme, instead of having to spend a year in a college as now.
7. We will create an independent body to ensure exams are tied to world class standards. We will give state schools the same freedom as independent schools - the freedom to offer their pupils the best international exams, which the Government does not allow now.
8. We will create a new generation of independent, free, and non-selective primary and secondary Academies, so that different communities, form deprived inner cities to rural villages, can create and nurture good local schools. We will change the rules to make it much easier for groups of parents and other organisations, such as educational charities, to start new Academies. We will give all parents the power to take their child out of a state school, apply to a new Academy, and automatically transfer the per pupil funding from the old school to the new Academy.
9. We will allow successful schools to opt out of political control and become independent Academies.
10. We will make sure that badly run schools, such as those with major behavior problems, are taken over by new leadership with a record of success. There must be greater freedom for teachers from political interference and more responsibility of schools to parents.