Cllr John Mingay has highlighted the failure of Bedford Borough Council’s Liberal Democrats to address below average GCSE results in Bedford.
In a letter to the Times & Citizen, which was written in response to comments made by the Council’s Education Portfolio Holder Cllr Vann, Cllr Mingay raised concerns about the percentage of pupils attaining 5 A* - C GCSE grades including English and maths.
The letter is reproduced below:
‘As an ex-teacher of some 30 years’ experience and a current governor of 2 of the state schools attended by my 3 children, I am not inclined to take Cllr Vann’s lecture on state education in the Borough (Letters, February 19).
Cllr Vann’s reference last week to the former County Council betrays his and the Liberal Democrats’ unwillingness to tell the whole truth on the challenges facing schools in the Borough right now. Week after week we see the Mayor having his photo taken in schools as he claims the credit for millions of pounds of Government investment for replacing temporary classrooms with permanent facilities. We do not see, however, any acknowledgement from the Liberal Democrats that on their watch none of the schools in Bedford are achieving the national standard for GCSE results.
Teachers and staff in the Borough’s state schools have worked incredibly hard in recent years to achieve magnificent Ofsted ratings but there is clearly an issue for Cllr Vann to address when this does not translate into strong GCSE performance.
Instead of the Liberal Democrats cherry picking and taking the credit for politically expedient scenarios, I would like to see them tell us why after 6 years of their administration so many of our pupils are still leaving school without 5 A* - C GCSE grades including English and maths. Come on Henry; I am sure all residents want an explanation.’
Cllr John Mingay (Con)
Newnham Ward