Portsmouth North Conservatives are proud that the Conservative Administration, led by Portsmouth North Councillor, Donna Jones has together with cabinet member Councillor Neill Young have set Education as a key priority for the city.
Conservatives have found half a million pounds to refurbish Moorings Way school and see St. Edmunds Catholic school achieve an outstanding award from Ofsted.
Councillor Neill Young said, "This is really great news. I worked hard to find grant provision for the school so that it could get the improvement program that it needed. I'm pleased that due to the funding grant for £592,000. This is now a reality.
It is the Conservative administration that is putting education forward as it's key priority. As well as this good news, we have also achieved our first outstanding award for a secondary school... St. Edmunds Catholic Secondary. Things are on the up, and I'm proud to say that raising education standards across Portsmouth is at the heart of my focus."
Five years ago, St. Edmunds was certified as a school that needed to improve and within five years have gone from near failing to outstanding. It's down to the hard work of the new school head, teachers, staff and council officers.
City council leader Councillor Donna Jones says she’s delighted at the result, and believes it will lead to schools across the city raising their game.
Cllr Jones, who has unveiled plans to spend £4.7m improving schools so they can provide more places and be better places of learning, said: ‘This will act as a catalyst in helping other schools reaching outstanding status, boosting the local economy, and it means more employers and the very best teachers will want to come here.
‘Every child deserves access to outstanding education.
‘Education has been below par in the city for a number of years, and that simply isn’t good enough. We have set about improving school buildings and creating new school places.’
Last year, the proportion of St Edmund’s pupils gaining five or more A* to C GCSE grades was above national levels, despite students starting off with broadly ‘average levels of attainment’.
Photo: Portsmouth News.