Guest Blog by Southport MP Patrick Hurley
Every time I visit a school in Southport or the Northern Parishes, I’m struck by the same thought. The children sitting in those classrooms today will shape the future of our town and our country. Among them are future engineers, carers, business owners, artists and, no doubt, a few who will go into public life themselves.
They are growing up in a world that feels very different to the one many of us knew at their age. Technology is transforming how we live and work. Opportunities are expanding, but so are pressures. Young people talk about big ambitions, yet they also carry real worries about what lies ahead.
Those worries often begin at home. Too many parents are working longer hours, sometimes in more than one job, and still finding it hard to cover the basics. Children notice that. They see the strain. It shapes how secure they feel about their own future.
Over time, the divide between those who are comfortable and those who are struggling has become more entrenched. Families on lower incomes, parents of children with SEND, and most often working-class kids, find themselves having to push and fight for support that should be straightforward. It should never depend on how well you can navigate a system.
When children who have ability and determination are denied the right support, it is not down to bad luck. It reflects choices that have been made about who the system is designed to serve. For too long, it has suited some to pretend that hard work alone is enough, while ignoring the barriers placed in front of many.
When you elected me, you did so on the basis of values that are deeply rooted in this part of the world. If you work hard and have talent, you should get a fair chance. Background should not decide destiny. That belief sits at the heart of Labour’s reforms to education.
Improving attainment is about more than what happens between the school bell in the morning and the bell in the afternoon. Schools are part of their communities. If families are under pressure, schools feel it too. That is why our approach begins earlier and goes further.
Thirty hours of funded early education will give children a strong start. Best Start Family Hubs will provide practical, everyday support to parents, building on the success we saw from Sure Start. We will remove policies that penalise children for the circumstances they are born into and extend free school meals to those who need them. These are not abstract ideas. They are practical steps that help children to learn and thrive.
In school, we want high standards and a curriculum that opens doors. We want teachers who are properly trained and supported. For children with SEND, support must come earlier and be more consistent, so that families are not left battling for help and children are not written off.
This is a long-term commitment. The ambition is clear. The children starting Reception this autumn should finish secondary school in a system where standards are higher and the attainment gap between richer and poorer pupils has been cut in half.
There will be challenges. Building a genuinely inclusive system takes time and close cooperation with parents and schools. Some will resist change because they are comfortable with the way things are. But standing still is not an option when so many young people are being held back.
Aspiration means little if opportunity is restricted to a few. We can expect academic rigour while also making sure that no child is left behind. In fact, the two go together.
Southport and the Northern Parishes are full of talent. Our job is to make sure that talent is recognised and supported wherever it is found. These reforms are about turning that principle into reality and delivering the change that our community voted for.
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