Thank you for your question to me under Procedural Rule 10.

You ask what my personal views are on the Academy proposal for Langleywood. I am slightly puzzled by this. You refer to an alleged considerable delay in the Council responding to the announcement of approval for an academy and address your question to me as the Councillor with the portfolio for Education yet seek my personal view.

Some delay in a response was inevitable, given that the Academy bid was progressed under the previous Labour administration and the incoming joint-administration did not have the same degree of knowledge about it before coming to power.

Langleywood is a school in special measures for the second time and in need of considerable investment if it is to provide a learning environment capable of facilitating the significantly greater educational achievement that the new administration wishes to see.

As I am sure you are aware, under the previous Labour administration such investment wasn't made and finances were not left in such a state that the new administration could afford to fund the work needed. Nonetheless, the people of Langley and future school age generations in particular will expect to see the problems of the present school addressed.

The (current) Labour Government has demonstrated a total lack of faith in Council-run LEAs and insisted that the DfES funding for such projects must go directly to trusts set up by the private sponsor partners. They have gone further in recent announcements.

This Council is committed to building on the successes of Learning & Cultural Services Department and delivering further improvements in the quality of education/results that are achieved. To do so we will take full advantage of funding for education in Slough and work within the constraints over the involvement of the LEA, placed upon us by Central Government. The people of Slough expect and deserve no less from us.

On a personal level, I look forward to working with the private sponsors so as to secure the maximum benefit for the people of Slough and residents of Langley in particular.