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cheltonian politics


Alex Chalk MP forCheltenham Thismonthwith...


POSITIVE STEPS


CheltenhamMPAlexChalk shares his hopes for the continuing improvement of educationwithin the town


I’ve been holding talks in Parliament with an officialwhose decision in just a couple ofmonthswill have amajor impact on education inCheltenham: the Regional SchoolsCommissioner. Iwanted tomeet her to discuss


the proposal for a newschool for Cheltenham, something I campaigned for prior tomy election in 2015. Itwas part ofmy ‘5-point Plan’ forCheltenham, drawn up following conversationswith local parents.Nowthat vision is taking shape. Academy Trusts have been invited


to submit their plans to become the official ‘sponsor’ for the £30million school. It’s good news that there’s so much local interest in running it. I’m keen thatwemake use of that local knowledge and experience. The final decision restswith the


Commissioner, advised by an independent panel of head teachers and education experts. She and her teamhave been assessing the applications. We should knowthe outcome by April. Once that decision is


approved, the chosen sponsorwill start a consultation on possible sites for the newschool. This should take place in June. The newschoolwill hopefully be open in September


32 MARCH/APRIL 2018 THECHELTONIAN


2019. The clock is ticking. And in further positive news for


local schools, I amdelighted that Balcarras has recently been awarded a six-figure grant fromthe Government’s £25mStrategic School Improvement Fund. This additional cash is to help


Balcarras’ excellent teaching team support other schools across the county. The aimis to close the attainment gap inmathematics at KS2, particularly for disadvantaged pupils. It comes on top of the hundreds of pounds of additional


moneywe have justwon for every singleCheltenhamsecondary pupil, £600 extra for every pupil fromAll Saints’ to Bournside. As parentswe don’t need reminding that Gloucestershire’s schools have been underfunded for decades. Following themarathon campaign for fair funding so brilliantly supported by local parents and teachers, our pupils are finally getting a better deal. With the right sponsor for a


newCheltenhamschool, the future for local education can be brighter still.


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