Schools must do better - Sykes

OLDHAM COUNCIL

MORE needs to be done to improve the prospects of Oldham’s schoolchildren according to Lib-Dem leader Howard Sykes.

He said: “Schools in Oldham have recently received public attention but, regrettably, for all the wrong reasons. If Oldham itself were a pupil, there is no doubt the borough’s annual report would read ‘once again failed to reach its potential and could do much better if it just applied itself.’

“We are currently failing to give thousands of our children the opportunities they deserve.

“Our children deserve an excellent education to help them reach further and higher education, set them up to become productive and wellenumerated in the workplace, active citizens and positive parents and role models for their own children.”

Council leader Jim McMahon said: “We want to be positive about education and education improvement in Oldham.

“We need to work together and involve the community, parents and teachers to make the situation better for our young people than it is today.

“The Education Commission, chaired by Estelle Morris, is leaving no stone unturned. It is asking difficult questions and trying to craft the right solution.

“Our budget has been slashed in half so it is a difficult task. We will have to assess what the findings of the commission mean for Oldham but we can’t make improvements by ourselves. Parents and schools need to take responsibility.”