Lib Dem plans would support local schools - big is not always better!

5.04.06pm BST (GMT +0100) Wed 16th Jul 2008

Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg recently visited Herefordshire to personally give support to local schools

Sarah Carr, Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Candidate for Hereford and South Herefordshire has welcomed plans outlined by Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg to give schools greater freedoms, allowing them to tailor education to the needs of their pupils.

Sarah Carr said,

"Nationally the government's 'one size fits all' approach to schools has failed thousands of pupils by not providing a personalised education. Locally, the Conservatives who run Herefordshire Council caused massive disruption to our children's education earlier this year with their ill-conceived and badly managed school closure proposals.

"I welcome these education proposals outlined by Liberal Democrat Leader Nick Clegg which will allow our local schools to flourish and deliver the personalised learning our children need to be happy and make the most of all opportunities in their lives."

The Liberal Democrat education proposals include:

• Scrapping mandatory national tests for seven and 14 year olds, with the money saved put into early assessment at age five and a huge expansion of one-to-one reading and numeracy tuition.

• Abolishing the overly prescriptive national curriculum and replacing it with a shorter document, and allowing all schools the curriculum freedoms currently enjoyed by Academies.

• Taking the politics out of the day-to-day management of schools by establishing an independent Education Standards Authority and slashing the size of the central government department by half.

• Changing targets so that schools are incentivised to address the needs of all pupils, not just those 'borderline' pupils.