Chuka Umunna MP

Chuka has demonstrated his support for Labour Students’ Stand up for Students campaign against the government’s increase in tuition fees by signing a letter to Vince Cable calling for a fairer funding system for higher education.

Not only will many students be deterred from applying to university because of the higher fees, but, as the letter points out, the £9,000 fees will not lead to an increase in funding for universities with higher fees being introduced to plug a funding gap caused by the decision to cut higher education funding.

As well as voting against the increase in fees, Chuka spoke in the House of Commons debate on the matter citing the correspondence he has received on the issue and the effect it will have on the young people in Streatham.

Between 1997 and 2009, there was an 81% increase in the number of young people going to university in the area; however, as a constituency in the fifth most deprived borough in London, the increase in fees, in addition to the cut of Education Maintenance Allowance, will almost certainly be affect the number of young people applying to university.

The Stand up for Students’ letter is online, and you can show your support by signing it.

Chuka Umunna, Member of Parliament for Streatham, has congratulated students on excellent exam results across the board.

Commenting, Mr Umunna said:

“Congratulations to all our students, who have worked so hard and achieved these fantastic results. Our young people have done us proud once again.”

“Particularly given the huge expansion in young people from our area going to university, I am concerned by reports of a lack of available university places and I hope there will be a place for everyone who was hoping to start a course this Autumn.”

A major school building project at Dunraven School in Streatham has been given the go-ahead after weeks of pressure from students, parents, teachers, governors and local MP Chuka Umunna.

The Department for Education has released details of school building projects given a green light which included Dunraven School which had been under review as a ‘sample’ project. However, planned developments at La Retraite and Bishop Thomas Grant schools have not been reprieved.

Last month, the Liberal Democrat – Conservative government announced sweeping cuts to the previous administration’s Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme, affecting three schools in the Streatham Constituency: Dunraven, La Retraite and Bishop Thomas Grant.

Following the government’s BSF announcement, Mr Umunna set up the ‘Save Streatham’s School Building Projects’ online petition to put pressure on the government over the three stalled projects. It can be signed at: http://www.gopetition.co.uk/petitions/save-streathams-school-building-projects.html

He also tabled an Early Day Motion in Parliament protesting the cuts to BSF across London which has been signed by 30 MPs and spoke in an adjournment debate to make the case for Streatham’s projects and call on the government to reverse its decision.

Mr Umunna said:

“This is excellent news – it is fantastic that Dunraven will now benefit from the crucial investment which it was promised under the last government.

“I will continue to pressure the government for crucial projects at Bishop Thomas Grant and La Retraite schools to be put back on track as well.”

The Department for Education has announced that Dunraven’s Building Schools for the Future (BSF) project will take place as planned.

Last month, the Liberal Democrat – Conservative government announced sweeping cuts to the BSF programme affecting three schools in the Streatham constituency: La Retraite, Bishop Thomas Grant and Dunraven.

Following this announcement, Chuka tabled an Early Day Motion in Parliament protesting against the BSF cuts which has been signed by 30 MPs, spoke up for our local school building projects in Parliament and set up an online petition against the cuts which now has over 400 signatures.

As a ‘sample’ school, Dunraven’s project faced a review but will now go ahead. Chuka will continue to pressure the government to reverse its decision on La Retraite and Bishop Thomas Grant schools’ essential projects.

The Save Streatham’s School Building Projects petition can be signed here.

This week, Chuka spoke in an adjournment debate in Parliament on the Liberal Democrat – Conservative government’s cuts to school building projects, making the case for the government to reverse its decision and for the crucial projects at Dunraven, Bishop Thomas Grant and La Retraite to go ahead.
You can watch Chuka’s speech here (it starts at 52m20s in).

To read the speech in full, follow this link

In our area, La Retraite and Bishop Thomas Grant secondary schools, which were due to benefit from new, state of the art buildings, have seen their BSF projects stopped. As a result La Retraite will remain the only school with post-16 provision in Lambeth without purpose-built sixth form buildings.

The other project at Dunraven School – as one of a handful of ‘sample’ projects nationally – has been put in doubt and placed under review. It is crucial that the government announces the time scale and terms of this review, which it has completely failed to do so far. Chuka has tabled a number of Parliamentary questions to Ministers seeking clarification on this for constituents.

Last week, the Liberal Democrat – Conservative government’s Education Secretary Michael Gove announced cuts to the previous government’s ambitious school building programme, Building Schools for the Future (BSF).

School building projects at three local secondary schools are affected, with major rebuilding projects axed at La Retraite and Bishop Thomas Grant schools and Dunraven School’s project placed in doubt.

To put pressure on the government, Chuka is campaigning alongside students, parents and teachers for the projects to go ahead and for the cuts to funding for new school buildings to be reversed.

He has set up a petition to save Streatham’s school building projects and demand answers from the government – please sign it here.

Chuka has also tabled an Early Day Motion in Parliament on the issue, condemning the government’s cancellation of school building projects and calling for answers on projects subject to review such as Dunraven’s. The full text of the EDM and a list of MPs who have signed it can be read here.

Two out of three school building projects in Streatham agreed under the last government have been axed with another put at risk by the Liberal Democrat – Conservative coalition, Education Secretary Michael Gove has announced.

Crucial school building projects at La Retraite and Bishop Thomas Grant schools will no longer go ahead, despite years of planning and preparation.

Dunraven School was listed as one of a handful of “sample projects” which are being reviewed by the government and may still be cancelled.

Since the formation of the coalition government there has been uncertainty about the future of the previous administration’s school building programme, which was the most ambitious undertaken since the Victorian era.
Mr Umunna has pressed ministers for answers on BSF since his election in May. Having asked education ministers to clarify its plans for projects at local schools in a written question on the matter, he received an evasive answer from Schools Minister Nick Gibb, who said: “I will reply as soon as possible”.

Commenting on Tory plans for schools last year, Mr Gibb said: “some of the best new schools in Sweden are set up in office blocks”.

In his maiden speech last month, Mr Umunna highlighted the importance of the BSF programme to local schools and urged the new government to go ahead with the developments.

After Mr Gove made his statement to the House, Mr Umunna rose and asked the Secretary of State to clarify what the implications were for the three BSF projects in his constituency, to which Mr Gove replied:

“Dunraven school is a sample school, and therefore falls within the group of local authority schools that we will look at. Elm Court, a special school in his constituency, has already opened under BSF. I believe that two other schools have not reached financial close, and I will confirm that in my letter to him.”

In his speech, Mr Gove also criticised the design and delivery of BSF projects. However, the innovative new sports hall at Dunraven School which was funded through BSF was a finalist in the Better Public Building awards and was praised by judges as:“an extremely cheap new facility built with remarkable speed – and it looks good.”

In the recent by-election in the Tulse Hill ward in the Streatham parliamentary constituency, Liberal Democrat literature promised “more money for schools, and the Liberal Democrat manifesto said: “We will provide a fair start for all children by giving schools the extra money they need to cut class sizes. We will invest additional money in the schools system to allow schools to cut class sizes.”

Commenting, Chuka Umunna MP said: “I am bitterly disappointed that these projects have been cancelled and I feel that local students, teachers and school governors have been betrayed by the coalition government.

“Our young people deserve the very best, and the BSF school building programme meant an education in twenty first century surroundings for all. I am concerned that because of the government’s decision this week, our children are being sold sort.”

After weeks of uncertainty, the new Liberal Democrat – Conservative coalition government yesterday admitted that it would, as was feared, cut Labour’s Building Schools for the Future programme. Building projects at two Streatham schools, La Retraite and Bishop Thomas Grant, will be stopped as a result. Meanwhile building work at Dunraven School is under review and may be cancelled as well.

Having spent the last two months pushing for the government to reveal its intentions in this area, Chuka asked Education Secretary Michael Gove in Parliament yesterday what the cuts would mean for Streatham schools. He criticised the government for refusing to disclose the full details of the BSF cut:

“We are in the absurd position of constantly having to ask the Secretary of State to read from his list. I know precisely which schools in my area have not reached financial close, but I do not know if they have got to the close of dialogue stage. Those three schools are La Retraite, Dunraven and Bishop Thomas Grant. Can he tell me from his list whether they will go ahead?”

Failing to clarify the situation, the Secretary of State gave the following reply:

“Dunraven school is a sample school, and therefore falls within the group of local authority schools that we will look at. Elm Court, a special school in his constituency, has already opened under BSF. I believe that two other schools have not reached financial close, and I will confirm that in my letter to him.”

Only in his letter to Chuka did Mr Gove confirm that building work at La Retraite and Bishop Thomas Grant would no longer go ahead. The cuts come after years of planning and preparation, will pull much needed investment out of the local economy in Streatham and represent a bitter blow to the children, parents and governors of the schools in question.

In this video, Chuka discusses Labour’s delivery for education locally outside Lambeth Academy in Clapham, which opened in 2004.

Continuing a more detailed look at the Labour Manifesto we highlight our provisions for a better and fairer education system: Fairer funding for schools with a high intake of students from more deprived families, no pupil left behind and a continued emphasis on the importance of Sure Start.

Frontline spending on Sure Start will continue to increase under Labour – it is such an important institution that we must ensure that it continues to flourish. Labour is committed to extending and improving the services offered by Sure Start, expanding education for under fives at children’s centres.

Labour is leading the way in pledging to provide greater flexibility in the provision of childcare, making sure that parents have the options that suit them.

Labour has pledged to extend the number of free early learning places to two-year olds from disadvantaged families, a step on the way to creating universal free childcare for this age group.

Although the number of underachieving schools has decreased over the last 13 years, Labour will not tolerate any schools that are not providing the best possible education for our children.

Struggling schools will be taken over by local school leaders, creating school groups and federations and where parents are concerned about a school’s leadership they will be able to ballot for a change in leadership. The introduction of school report cards will give parents full information about schools’ parental satisfaction levels, behaviour records and students progress.

Labour will ensure that no child is left behind in education. The commitment to giving disadvantaged families free access to broadband, ensuring that no child’s education suffers because of disadvantage. Labour will expand specialist teachers to help children with dyslexia and increase teacher training for children with autism.

Finally, free school meals will be extended to include a further 500,000 primary school children from families on low incomes and universal free school meals for primary children are being piloted in areas across the country.

If you are interested in reading the manifesto in more details then you can download it from the education manifesto page of the Labour Party website.