Antonia Bance MP: "I voted for the biggest piece of child protection legislation in a generation"
Happy New Year to readers of the Express & Star. During Parliament’s break, I had a chance to reflect on the six months or so since my election as your MP and what I’d like to see from this Labour government to make a difference to residents in Tipton, Wednesbury and Coseley.
Top of that list is making sure all our children have the chance to get on in life – and are protected from harm. And I got the chance to vote for measures to do just that in my first week back in Parliament, in a draft law called the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill.
The changes in the draft law will help us make sure more of our kids get the exam results they need, through common-sense reform to put more qualified, expert teachers in classrooms and make sure they are teaching a modern curriculum. That’s really important because the quality of teaching makes a massive difference to children’s life chances. I want young people in Tipton, Wednesbury and Coseley to leave school ready for work, with the qualifications that help them get on.
The draft law will also cut the cost of sending children to school. One big change is that when the law passes, schools will only be able to require children wear no more than three items of expensive branded uniform – and that means parents will be able to buy more of the uniform kids need from cheaper unbranded suppliers, like supermarkets.
And the draft law means that every primary school will have to run a breakfast club free, for all children that want to attend. Breakfast clubs boost children’s attendance, attainment, behaviour and readiness to learn. They help working families with extra childcare time, and they make sure every child gets breakfast.
Cutting the cost of school uniform and bringing in free breakfast clubs will save parents in Tipton, Wednesbury and Coseley £500 per child per year.
The draft law is also the biggest piece of child protection legislation in a generation. We have all read about cases of child abuse and neglect – and remember the names and the faces of the children who were killed. After so many cases of children being failed by the system in recent years, we can’t have any more empty words or ‘lessons learned’. We need real action to keep children safe – and that’s what’s in this bill.
We’re doing these things so we can deliver on Labour’s mission to break down the barriers to opportunity. Where you come from shouldn’t determine where you end up. If you work hard, you should be able to get on in life.
That’s a principle that I know so many local people hold close to their hearts – but for too many of our kids it just hasn’t been true. I promise that this Labour government will work every day to make it a reality.
Children growing up in Tipton, Wednesbury and Coseley deserve the best start in life, nothing less.
