Children, Young People and Education

Sarah Teather MP & Baroness Joan Walmsley

Swan on the moat - 2 minutes of relaxation between sessions

Peter Belotti, Simon Hughes MP & Baroness Joan Walmsley

I've just spent an exhausting 24 hours in Nottingham with other Lib Dems who are passionate about education and children.  Discussions ranged from how we protect our vital children's services from cuts, given the local government funding settlement agreed by the Tory Secretary of State, through new and exciting ways to encourage parents to help their children develop their potential, to whatever glimmers of hope people are managing to find in our increasingly fragmented education system.  Ministers, teachers, governors, councillors, education advisers, keen Lib Dem education experts and members of the House of Lords team all came together to talk, argue, develop policy proposals and share good ideas from around the country.  Exhausting, stimulating, frightening, challenging, hopeful and inspiring - what a weekend. 
I've certainly come back with some thoughts on things we might do differently in Stockton and which wouldn't cost a lot of extra money -  just a bit of innovation and lateral thinking.
It was also interesting to hear from around the country of how people are reacting to the coalition government.  Despite the best efforts of the media it seems that many people are like those in this borough that I've talked with - keen to see politicians getting on with the job rather than trying to score political points off each other and though not happy with the cuts most are willing to concede that "something had to be done" and to give the government a chance to get it right.