Posted on 2019-07-05 | 06:37

Dear Parent of children attending Kings Heath Primary School,

I apologise for the impersonal communication, but I do not have the names and contact details of those parents who are attending the event at Parliament this Friday. I have sent a copy to the Chair of Governors and Head Teacher.

When I was informed about Friday’s event I changed my Birmingham commitments to ensure I attended the Parliamentary event.

When checking the specifics of the arrangements on Wednesday, my office was told that there were “hostile feelings” towards my presence due to the controversy which has arisen at a primary school in my constituency over the teaching of the “9 protected characteristics” enshrined in the Equality Act, which children have to be aware of before they leave primary school. The “9 protected characteristics” are: Age; Disability; Gender assignment; marriage and civil partnerships; pregnancy and maternity; race; religion or belief; sex; and sexual orientation.

I took the view that parents were entitled to be consulted (as the Minister has reconfirmed in response to the debate I initiated, which can be viewed on my website as to what teaching materials are being used and at what “age appropriate” age children should be introduced to the “9 protected characteristics” bearing in mind some children were only coming up to 4 or 5 years of age. Others took a contrary view.

Without wishing, therefore, to cause any embarrassment, I am informing parents attending this Parliamentary event of my involvement with Kings Heath Primary after the Head Teacher informed parents that the school, regrettably, would only be open for 4 ½ days a week in the new term in order to balance the school budget.

I was asked to arrange, by the Chair of Governors, for a “school efficiency advisor” to come to the school to look at the accounts and to identify potential savings which senior management at the school may not have been able to identify.

I arranged this and attended, with the Chair of Governors, Head Teacher, and senior members of the school management the 2 meetings with the “school efficiency advisor.” The first meeting dealt with the “school case” which was ably put by everyone present and which emphasized the deficit which the school was carrying due to the historic underfunding of SEND children.

The second meeting dealt with the “school efficiency advisors” findings. I, personally, was impressed by his empathy with the school’s problems. He acknowledged that the school had suffered because of SEND underfunding and, after suggesting some “creative accounting” of the school’s accounts, said that he would make a case for additional SEND funding – the shortfall is £200k – in his report to the Minister.

He made one or two other suggestions but, most importantly to me, he agreed to my request that senior school management could have input into the final report to be made to the Minister.

The Head Teacher, and other members of the school management, can give you their impressions but, for myself, I felt Mr Giddings, the School Efficiency Advisor, was supportive of the school’s case and was not taking a dogmatic attitude as has happened at other schools.

I apologise that I am not present on Friday to say this personally to parents, but I have no wish to embarrass anybody.

I am happy, of course, to meet with parents at the school, at my house in Birmingham, or at any other venue to discuss and elaborate on what I have said.

Hope it is fine on Friday and the kids have a good day out.