Education
As a mother of young children, I have a vested interest in making the schools of Bedford as good as I can. My children will still be going through Bedford schools for fifteen or more years.
The education debate in the Borough has been far too narrow. We need to look more holistically at how we meet our children's and families' needs. How can we support learning? We need to think creatively. Breakfast clubs can help make sure children have eaten before lessons. Few people concentrate well when they are hungry! We need to think carefully about whether children would learn better with a different arrangement of terms and holidays.
Our children need good English and maths. But beyond that, where our schools are in league tables is less important than helping young children grow into confident, responsible, young adults with a desire to learn.