Speaking in the House of Commons, Graham mounted a defence of families having choices in their children’s education as the Labour government attempts to squash academies, free schools and home schooling.
In a speech attacking Labour’s attempts to deny parental choice by slashing standards in academies, stopping the creation of new free schools and putting impossible burdens on home schoolers, Graham made a stand for parents.
Graham spoke powerfully about the freedom of parents to choose the best possible education for their children, be that through the expansion of the academy system to trusting parents to home-school their children.
Graham is concerned that Sir Keir Starmer’s government is pursuing an ideological attack on parental choice and the education of England’s children.
Education in England has been transformed by successive governments, both Labour and Conservative, taking England from 27th in the world for reading to the best in the world last year.
Meanwhile in Wales, where academies were blocked by the Labour administration, education levels have stood still since 2010, with Welsh pupils performing only as well as disadvantaged pupils in England.
In 2010 only 68% of schools in England were rated Good or Outstanding. Now it stands at 90% following a concerted consensus that the best way to improve education is to get the bureaucrats out and let teachers teach.
The government has already acknowledged one error in its original legislation, scrapping its proposed pay cap for teachers.
Graham served as Chairman of the House of Commons’ Education Select Committee from 2010 to 2015.
Graham Stuart, Member of Parliament for Beverley and Holderness, commented, “I may be old fashioned, but I’ve always thought education is about getting the best start for our young people and giving parents the ability to choose the school that provides that.
“This government seems to believe that the people to look after are the bureaucrats and the teachers’ unions – at the expense of our children.
“It was astonishing to hear Labour MPs in the House of Commons give long speeches about how the Unions hate academies while not even giving a mention to children.
“Labour wants to destroy education because it doesn’t believe in our schools and our children – it only believes in trendy theories and its cheques from the trade unions.”
