Letters: November 21, 2016

Anonymity is granted only at the discretion of the editor, who also reserves the right to edit letters.

Ofsted double take

AFTER reading the council leader’s responses to Ofsted in your pages, I’m increasingly concerned that Ofsted’s complaint that Swindon Council’s reaction is too defensive is true.

I was shocked to read that the leader, David Renard, said: “I think the only area where we have to look is some of our secondary schools.”

I would suggest he has a look at our primary performance.

Our performance on phonics at primary level is in the lowest 10 per cent of the country, which we shouldn’t accept.

And the new University Technical College is massively under-subscribed and the results it is achieving suggest that it is at risk of being put into an Ofsted underperforming category.

I would suggest he has a look at our performance with children in care.

I was at the Corporate Parenting Board meeting at the council on Monday and it was abundantly clear that the Borough has no plan for narrowing the massive gap between our children in care and the wider Swindon cohort at GSCE level, let alone the further gap that exists between Swindon and the national average.

The borough is the Corporate Parent for these children and has a direct responsibility for their attainment.

I would suggest he has a look at our participation rates in higher education.

Our figures for students going to university are amongst the lowest in the country and we were in the lowest quintile in 2014.

I’m a huge supporter of the hard-working staff in our schools in the borough, and know they work long hours and regularly go above and beyond the scope of the job descriptions to support pupils in the town.

But we can’t be complacent or defensive in not constantly looking to improve our schools and relentlessly focusing on the attainment of our pupils.

There are clearly areas where the council could be doing more to support schools, without worrying if they are academies or not.

If I was the Cabinet Member for Children And Young People in the town, I wouldn’t have accepted the non-attendance of secondary school representatives at our children’s scrutiny committee for years.

I would have publicly named and shamed them until they attended.

With exclusions rates way ahead of the national averages, it is vital that councillors can hold schools to account on issues such as these.

The Labour Party has had a manifesto commitment to having an Education Commission along the lines of the successful model used by Oldham Council to bring together all of the bodies involved in local education, with an external chairman, to determine how schools can share best practice and work to improve results.

Having a proper commission to determine a way forward would go much further than the borough’s current Education Strategy Board.

Finally, I would question the borough’s short-sighted plan to shut libraries at a time when the education of the town is under such a spotlight. Our literacy rates were mentioned in the in the Ofsted Director’s letter as well below the national average.

Having a libraries strategy based on a budget amount rather than a comprehensive strategy to maximise engagement and promote literacy is indicative of this failed administration.

JIM ROBBINS

Councillor for Mannington & Western ward, Swindon

....

Support NSPCC

AS we approach the festive season I would like to ask your readers in Swindon and Wiltshire to do something amazing this Christmas in support of the vital work of the NSPCC.

To help share the magic of the season with children, we’ve teamed up with Santa to send personalised letters all the way from Lapland to help bring their Christmas to life.

Each letter is personalised, printed and posted directly to your child in a festive envelope.

You can choose the background design to your letter and fill in your child’s personal information such as age, best friend’s name or particular achievements throughout the year.

All we ask in return is a £5 donation - that £5 could ensure that, when a child plucks up the courage to ask someone for help, the NSPCC’s Childline is there to listen.

Or it could buy five packs of crayons, to help a child who has been abused express their feelings when they are unable to find the words.

Without the support of communities like yours, we simply wouldn’t be able to deliver our vital services which are so often a lifeline to many children and young people whose lives have been affected by abuse.

I want to personally take this opportunity to say thank you to everyone who has already helped the NSPCC in some way this year.

Your donations will help our fight for every childhood. Abuse ruins childhoods, but it can be prevented. That’s why we’re here.

Anyone wishing to find out more about ‘NSPCC Letter from Santa’ should call 0845 130 3073 or visit nspcc.org.uk/Santa.

CAROLINE MORGAN

NSPCC Community Fundraising Manager Swindon Service Centre

Little London Court

Swindon

....

Global trade problem

IN reply to Peter Smith (Nov 16) the problem is that Britain runs a Current Account Deficit of $162bn a year.

Government borrowing has to be increased to cover this huge deficit. Austerity is required as this means there is less money available for the public services.

British manufacturing industry is the wealth creator in this country. The only way out of austerity is by increasing exports.

Globalisation grinds down the wages of the working class.

Peter Smith is advocating the free movement of people and goods and these policies would only increase the trade deficit.

Theresa May has chosen to use French steel to replace the Trident submarines in preference to British steel.

This is yet another example of how globalisation damages British industry and destroys well paid skilled jobs for the working class in Britain.

STEVE HALDEN

Beaufort Green, Swindon

....

Deficit burden

IN reply to Don Reeve (Nov 16) the cause of austerity is that Britain has the worst trade deficit in the world.

Taxing the rich, or even confiscating their wealth, would not improve Britain’s trade deficit in any way.

Government borrowing is required to bridge the gap between imports and exports.

The Conservative Government has doubled the National Debt since the 2010 General Election and it now stands at £1.7trillion.

Don Reeve is correct when he says that foreign ownership of businesses, public utilities and rented properties adds to Britain’s deficit.

Remitting profits to foreign owners means money is going out of the country and all these foreign currency payments add to Britain’s enormous Current Account Deficit.

TERRY HAYWARD

Burnham Road

Swindon

....

Brexit unknown?

LIKE many people who read your letters page I appreciate Des Morgan`s regular contributions as he is obviously well read and researches his subject well.

Unfortunately, when it comes to Brexit all reason seems to go out of the window.

In his latest letter he states that “everyone who voted Leave was perfectly aware of what the vote meant.”

He must move in different circles to me because I have yet to meet anyone who knows what we are going into.

Even the politicians who lined up to convince us to vote leave now have wildly different versions of what Brexit means. We are truly going into the unknown.

I was a wavering Remain voter but I find the absolute certainty from Brexiters that the UK will be better when we leave the EU about as convincing as predictions that England will win the next World Cup.

R MORE

Old Town

Swindon

.....

Cheap fuel plea

WITH reference to petrol and diesel prices in Swindon, is it not noticeable how certain outlets have increased prices,while the supermarkets have kept prices down?

A large retail group (Esso) whose prices were always almost the same as the supermarkets have after selling out to a small supermarket group continued to increase fuel costs.

This can be as much as 6p a litre above the large supermarkets, this then costs drivers 27p a gallon more.

This is costing the motorist more than £1 more for four gallons of fuel, £2 for eight gallons.

Five/six pence a litre does not seem much but then work it out how much more a gallon it is costing you.

There are 4.546 litres to a gallon times 6p, which equals 27.27p a gallon more, or £1.09 for four gallons.

Okay, you can buy a cup of coffee if you have time and do your shopping but I would sooner have cheaper fuel.

R ELLIOTT

Merlin Way

Covingham

Swindon