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| No child should be left behind. Every child must be given the opportunity of a first class education. |
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| There must be a ladder of opportunity which every child can climb. Our Suffolk schools must offer that opportunity to every child, regardless of their background or their place of birth. |
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| We have fine upper schools in our area such as St Benedict’s, County Upper, Thurston Community College and KEGS. Here, as in our primary and middle schools, there are hard working and dedicated professionals striving to provide a great education to our young people. |
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| That is why I think it is so important you are aware Suffolk County Council has launched a major review of our local schools system. |
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| At present Suffolk has a mixture of two types of schooling; two tier and three tier. In the two tier set up, children attend Primary School and then Secondary School from age 11. In the three tier system, children attend Primary School, Middle School from age 9 and Upper School from age 13. |
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| I would encourage all local people across Suffolk to take part in this consultation either by filling in a consultation form which can be obtained from local libraries and via www.Suffolk.gov.uk or attending one of seven sessions the Policy Development Panel will be holding across Suffolk. |
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| There is a public session taking place in Bury St Edmunds on the 27th June and in Stowupland on the 3rd July. If you would like to attend one of these you should contact the School Organisation Review at the Children and Young People’s Services, Gold Floor, 3 Endeavour House, 8 Russell Road, Ipswich, IP1 2BX or email [email protected]. |
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| This is an incredibly important consultation. Potentially it could bring about big changes to the way our children are educated in Suffolk, therefore, it is of the utmost importance that local people participate the process. |
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| I have also launched my own consultation to hear the views of local people about our school system. Local people can log on to my interactive website, www.TellDavidRuffley.com, and let me know what they think. Do you think changing schools every four years present too much disruption to children or does it prepare them for university and later life? |
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| I will the pass these views on to the Organisation Panel to ensure the thoughts of local people are taken into consideration. |
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| We can not underestimate how vital it is that young people in our County are given the best possible start in life. I congratulate Suffolk County Council on holding this review and giving the people of Suffolk the chance to have their say on this important issue. |
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