Setting up young people for success

Having visited nearly every school in our area over the last year, I know how hard-working and skilled local teachers are. I've also seen the brilliant character, aspiration and ability of our young people. It's one of the many things about our community that brings me energy and joy.

However, I also see that teachers are trapped by a curriculum devised for a different age. One that doesn’t prepare children for the jobs of tomorrow. One that doesn’t give them the life skills needed to manage our ever-more complex society. One that doesn’t support them to master the foundations of reading, writing and maths. And one that doesn't unlock and nourish their natural creativity.

Meanwhile, one-in-eight young people between 16 and 24 years old are not in education, employment or training. I am deeply saddened that this figure gets worse for young people living across West Yorkshire. It is unacceptable that past Governments have left young people out to dry like this.

I was so pleased to see Wakefield become the first place in the country to benefit from DWP's new 'Pathfinder' Scheme, to better connect job centres, skills providers, and local employers. I'm also assured to see the Government launch its review into youth unemployment, so we can remove barriers to young people having fulfilling and well-paying work.

But, as well as delivering this systemic change to give young people the incentives and opportunities to access work, it is as - if not more - important, we provide them with the key skills and support from day one.

Before entering politics, I worked with school age children across the M62 corridor. Improving the lives of children and families across the place I call home is the very reason I ran to be an MP in the first place. It's also why the commitment to change the curriculum was one of the things in our manifesto I was most proud of.

I'm even more delighted that this commitment is becoming a reality, with the Government giving every child in our area greater access to music, sport, art and drama. This ensures that their many social, psychological and development benefits are not the preserve of a privileged few.

It is also answering the calls of many teachers, parents and campaigners alike, by embedding financial, media and digital literacy skills into the curriculum. Not as a nice to have - but as a core part of young people's learning.

I'm also pleased that the Government is putting a laser focus on the core skills of oracy, reading, writing and maths, from an early age - to set them up for success.

I've seen the soft bigotry of low expectations applied to children across our area. The last Government failed them - from the ruinous handling of the pandemic, to the disastrous impact of the RAAC scandal that impacted too many schools round here.

As your MP, it’s my mission to see local young people have access to the opportunity and prosperity they are more than capable of, that they can achieve the happy and healthy lives they deserve, and that they are able to grow and improve our community.

The changes to the curriculum are a vital step in that journey.