Whilst it is good to acknowledge that the performance in Northamptonshire Schools is gradually improving, it is a long journey that the County has embarked upon, and is far from reaching its destination point.

News that the Government have taken the County’s education services out of “special measures” is a not unexpected measure given the current drive to cut expenditure by reducing the level of inspection of local government.

However serious problems still remain to be addressed. Although the County’s pupils last year achieved improved GCSE A*-C results, pupils in Northamptonshire still under achieve at GCSE level and are below the national average. There are still 3.7% of the county’s schools that are judged by OfSTED to be performing inadequately with only just over half the county’s schools judged good or outstanding. This is not a record that the County Conservatives can be proud of.

Liberal Democrats are committed both locally and nationally to improving standards and want all our schools to be judged as good or outstanding. That way there will be no contests between parents to get their child in a particular school if all schools can be brought up to a good or outstanding performance level.