Birmingham has a number of primary schools on Michael Gove’s ‘hit list’ for conversion into academies.
It’s sometimes difficult to find out exactly which they are. Not surprisingly the schools themselves are reticent to have such information published. You can understand their fear of being stigmatised as ‘failures’, even though they will not necessarily have done anything to warrant being on it.
I have secured a debate for later today in the House of Commons to highlight the issue of underachievement of white disadvantaged pupils. White pupils are the largest underachieving group in Birmingham and across the UK. Whilst almost half of White British pupils not on free school meals (FSM) achieved at least 5 A* – C grades at GCSE in 2007 – the same as the national average for all...
Questioning Angela Eagle MP, the Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury in the House of Commons, Richard raised with her the importance of the Government making provision for skills in growth industries, such as environmental technologies.
Richard has been pressing stakeholders in Birmingham to consider ways to encourage firms involved in this innovative business to set up on the Longbridge site.
I was Labour Member of Parliament for Birmingham Northfield between 1992 and 2019 and a former Shadow Transport Minister. I now chair Healthwatch in Birmingham and Solihull, and the West Midlands Board of Remembering Srebrenica. I also work as a public affairs consultant. I am an effective community advocate and stakeholder alliance builder with a passion for human rights. I am a trustee of the Balfour Project charity and of Citizens Advice Birmingham, and a former Chair of Medical Aid for Palestinians.