Andrew Gwynne, MP for Denton and Reddish, has expressed his delight at the news that Vale View Primary School in Reddish will end early Friday closures from September, and congratulated parents and campaigners for their role in securing this outcome.
Under the Conservative Government, funding for schools has been cut considerably; whilst the situation has improved slightly, schools in Stockport still face a budget shortfall of £8 million this year.
School cuts have caused schools around the country to consider different ways to save costs, including finishing early on Friday. This was the choice that Vale View Primary in Reddish took.
Parents at the school, led by Megan Montgomery and Amanda Baxter, started a campaign to reverse this decision and call for adequate funding for schools in England. They gathered over 113,000 signatures for a petition presented to Parliament by Gwynne last year.
Vale View has announced that, from September, the school will no longer close early on Fridays.
Andrew Gwynne said:
“I was absolutely delighted to hear that Vale View will no longer be closing early on Fridays. The fact that Government cuts had driven schools to take actions like this was shameful and I am glad that the school is now able to take this decision.
“This is partly testament to the fantastic campaigning of Megan Montgomery, Amanda Baxter and the parents and supporters of Vale View. I was proud to deliver their massive petition in Parliament last year and am so pleased to now be able to congratulate them on the success of their campaign.
“Unfortunately, this does not mean that the issue of school underfunding has gone away, and I will continue to press the Government to give schools the funding that they need to provide the level of education that our children deserve.”
