SARAH BECKITT, SEN TEACHING ASSISTANT, HACKNEY
Voted: Liberal Democrats
I am very much in favour of inclusion if it is a principle properly realised, genuinely contributing to the wellbeing and education of each child. The current reality is that many children, even those who are diagnosed and given special educational needs (SEN) statements early, pass through the system receiving only a fraction of the specialised attention and understanding they need and deserve, reaching only a fraction of their potential.
Inclusion is only feasible in appropriately-sized classes, staffed by teachers and assistants who have the time and resources to integrate SEN students into the life of their school. For these reasons I voted Liberal Democrat. I am attracted to their emphasis on SEN education and their pledges to reduce class sizes, to introduce more one-to-one tuition, to provide more SEN training, and to guarantee diagnostic assessments for all five-year-olds.
I am also open to the compromise of their proposal that special schools are co-located alongside mainstream schools, which recognises the necessity of avoiding segregation while refusing to reduce SEN to an inclusion target (as Labour policy does). They recognise the fact that education must be tailored to the best interests of the individual.
USMA DITTO, AFTER-SCHOOL CLUB MANAGER, LEEDS
Voted: Liberal Democrats
I feel really strongly about our children and young people. They will be tomorrow's future and the government needs to do a great deal to offer them the best start in life by creating more opportunities for jobs and training.
I voted for the Liberal Democrats because they said they would be putting more money into getting young people back into work and training. We also have issues with antisocial behaviour in western culture, which is a major concern in our society and they have said they will be putting more money into this issue as well. Equally, they will be supporting the education sector and have decided to create more schools.
I think Labour did a great job supporting young people from birth to 18 years old, for example, by offering a child trust fund to everyone, Sure Start grants, income support to single parents, childcare support, and the new tax credit system.
But from a personal point of view I like the idea that the first £10,000 of earnings will not be taxed, which could help people at a time of recession. I feel that the country is ready for a change and that's why I voted Lib Dem.
SARAH FORSYTH, HEALTH VISITOR, NORTH YORKSHIRE AND YORK PCT
Voted: Labour
I have felt very let down in the past by Labour over the way they have managed the NHS. However, when reading the other parties' manifestos I felt Labour were the only party able to keep our NHS safe from privatisation.
They have pledged that the NHS is the preferred provider for health care and have made it more difficult for commissioners to sell off our service.
Labour has also given reassurances on our NHS pension, unlike the other parties who have made it clear that it is not safe in their hands. To be honest none of the parties go far enough for me, but I think Labour is beginning to engage more with the unions now, so this may be a window of opportunity to work with them to reverse privatisation.
As far as health visiting goes, Labour have said that they will look at returning health visiting to statute, which is something we lost a few years ago. This impacted on recruiting and the status of health visitors among other professionals.
Labour have also given their full backing to the Healthy Child Programme, which I worry other parties may not support.
MICHELLE WISBEY, MONTESSORI SCHOOLS OWNER, ESSEX
Voted: Conservative
I voted for the party that places pre-school education at the heart of their policy agenda. Every child has a basic right to top-quality education, we are building our future from the bottom up. The Conservatives recognise and understand the significant benefits Montessori delivers to a child's development. With their policies, Montessori will become available to more children.
The party also understands that these benefits can only be delivered with a highly-skilled and motivated workforce in place. A workforce that works hard but whose wages are currently too low, as the money we receive from the Early Years Single Funding Formula caps what we can afford to pay them. They are a workforce that is more professional and better qualified, and this should be rewarded.
The Conservatives are sympathetic to some of the issues we face over the single funding formula. It is proving very difficult for many providers to see how they are going to deliver the single funding formula while still providing quality education and care for the children.
We need a policy that allows providers to charge a top-up to nursery funding, thus giving parents more choice and variety in the childcare available to them.
