Kids Count at the Labour Party Conference
Debbie Barnes
Monday, September 22, 2014
With the upcoming general election, the Labour Party Conference was alive with a plethora of people eager to engage in discussion and debate. ??As a young person there were many topics that struck me as important during the talks. However, with all eyes currently scrutinising the UK's education system, I felt that it was this topic that lingered in my mind the most.
Tristram Hunt, the shadow secretary for education, emphasized in his speech Labour's goal to have a “world class teacher in every classroom”. This idea is a vital one, for every young person can sense a bad teacher a mile away. I find that young people are becoming less and less motivated by education because of the need for more inspirational teachers. So if Labour can carry out this claim it could be a great achievement in engaging an increasing number of young people in education.
In a recent interview in Total Politics magazine, Nicky Morgan and Tristram Hunt commented on the success of Labour's education reforms. They stated that they “are truly life changing, particularly for some of the poorest people in our society”.
While it may seem like these are the most vulnerable people, I would argue that all parties address these issues in their speeches. However, there is a gap of our society that is missing out on reaping the benefits of the politicians' attention.
The young people who are neither the poorest nor the richest in society, who do not have free school meals nor privileged to attend a private school. These are the young people silently screaming to be heard, some of whom sit just above the poverty trap.
It is undeniable that Labour has taken a large stance to recognise the importance of the youthful voice. The conference was full of many different young voices conveying a multitude of political issues. However when considering the youth, I would urge Labour to consider all of the young people.
Sanam is blogging on behalf of Kids Count, a think-tank focused on the practical rather than the theoretical. Find out more at www.kidscount.org.uk
