Tom Gordon meets with Yorkshire Causeway Schools Trust

Today, Tom met with the Yorkshire Causeway Schools Trust, that includes St Aidan’s and St Peter’s schools, alongside several others in the area. Tom met with the headteachers of St Aidan’s and St Peter’s alongside the CEO of the Trust. 

Tom has visited lots of schools in the constituency since he was elected, to listen to them and discuss the challenges that they are facing.

One of the key topics discussed at the meeting was SEND provision. This is a subject that Tom has had a lot of casework around, and he was keen to discover how the schools in the Trust are coping, whilst acknowledging the significant funding gap that exists in this area, and the lack of support. 

They also discussed issues around teacher retention and morale and funding for capital projects. One of the schools, St Peter’s, is waiting on a significant rebuild, to update its building, originally built as a hospital. They have been promised money by the Government, but this is yet to arrive. The trust also highlighted that there is lots of other work to be done on their sites, including St Aidan’s, where leaky roofs are just one problem facing the school. 

Issues around school transport were also discussed, particularly around the lack of convenient bus services in the Oatlands area of Harrogate where St Aidan’s is located. 

Commenting, Tom said: 

“I’m very glad to have had the opportunity to meet with the Yorkshire Causeway Trust this morning. They have been working so hard to support their staff and students in challenging times when they are chronically underfunded. 

“SEND of course remains a massive issue, and one that I am intent on holding the Government to account on. We desperately need more funding to ensure that the right care can be provided. 

“It was also valuable to talk about other issues, such as capital funding for repairs, rebuilding and new projects that will help make sure children and young people can carry on learning in safe environments. Education doesn’t just need funding – it needs investment.”

Jane Goodwin, Chief Executive, Yorkshire Causeway Schools Trust, added: 

“We are ambitious for the students in our schools and meeting Tom was a great opportunity to share frontline experiences of pupils and staff and hear some of the drivers that are currently being mobilised at Government level. It was also great to hear that our MP is utilising his connections with other local public service and education leaders in order to ensure all children in our community are getting the support and learning opportunities that they need.”

ENDS