MP WELCOMES NEW CANOPY AT ALTRINCHAM STATION

Altrincham and Sale West MP Graham Brady has welcomed the news that Passengers will no longer be exposed to the elements after work was completed to replace the entire roof over the tram platform at Altrincham's rail/bus/Metrolink Interchange.  The MP had acted as a point of contact between the various groups involved in the project to improve facilities at the interchange. Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Authority  (GMPTA) has been able to replace the whole of the roof over the platform at no extra cost to the £180,000 scheme. The platform had been uncovered since glazed panels were removed more than three years ago due to safety concerns. The new panels are made of coated steel with some clear panels to let in the light.

Graham Brady said: 'This new canopy will provide much needed shelter for passengers. I hope that this will be the first stage in the delivery of the full programme of redevelopment and improvement that Altrincham Interchange needs.'

Work to replace worn-out track on the Altrincham line is due to start in July as part of a £100m scheme to improve the existing network.

30th January 2008

Altrincham and Sale West MP Graham Brady has introduced a motion into the House of Commons praising Trafford for its excellent exam results. The motion, known as an Early Day Motion points out that 74% of pupils achieved five or more GCSEs at A* - C … better than any other local authority on the English mainland and that Trafford is an socially and ethnically diverse metropolitan authority.

The text of the EDM is as follows:

EDM 725

GCSE AND A LEVEL RESULTS IN TRAFFORD

Brady, Graham

That this House congratulates Trafford schools on their outstanding results at GCSE and A-level in 2007; notes that 74 per cent. of pupils achieved five or more GCSEs at A* to C, a better performance than in any other local authority on the English mainland; that 61 per cent. of pupils achieved five or more good GCSEs, including English and mathematics, putting Trafford in fourth place nationally; further notes that average point score per student at A level was higher in only five other local authority areas; and further notes that these results have been achieved in a socially and ethnically diverse metropolitan authority which borders Manchester and Salford and which extends to within a mile of the centre of Manchester.

Graham Brady said:

‘I wanted to make sure that everyone in Westminster and around the country was aware of the impressive results achieved here in Trafford, results which show that the selective system of grammar and high schools works well for children of all abilities.  Trafford outperforms areas with comprehensive schools - not just those with a similar economic profile, but areas which are far wealthier. Trafford is an ethnically and socially diverse metropolitan authority and if these results can be achieved in Trafford then it is high time that other authorities looked to Trafford to see what lessons they could learn.’

NEW FIGURES GOOD NEWS FOR TRAFFORD SCHOOLS

Altrincham and Sale West MP Graham Brady says new figures released following his parliamentary question show that Trafford schools are getting more pupils to the top grades than schools in comprehensive areas.

Mr Brady asked the Secretary of State for Education and Skills:

‘If he will list the local education authorities in England in order of percentage of pupils achieving level 7 in key stage 3 SATS  in the 2005-6 academic year, stating in each case whether the local authority is selective, partially selective or comprehensive.’

Pupils taking SATS at 14 are expected to achieve level 5, so achieving level 7 is an excellent performance. The figures show that in English in 2006, 21 % of pupils in Trafford achieved level 7 compared to 11% in Cheshire  8% in Stockport and 4% in Manchester.  In mathematics, 42 % of pupils in Trafford achieved level 7 or above compared to 33 % in Cheshire 30% in Stockport  and 16 % in Manchester. In Science 27% of Trafford pupils attain level 7 compared to 17 % in Cheshire, 15% in Stockport and 6% in Manchester.

Graham Brady said:

‘These figures show that Trafford is managing to stretch pupils of average and above average ability far more than in comprehensive areas.  In Trafford, double the number of pupils achieved level 7 in English compared to neighbouring Cheshire, which runs a comprehensive system. Schools in Trafford are challenging pupils to achieve better results in a way that non-selective authorities are failing to do. The tables show that Trafford is among a handful of top –performing authorities which appear at the head of the league table in each subject area; all of the other top authorities are either wholly or partially selective. It is proof, if proof were needed, that pupils in selective areas do much better.’

Altrincham and Sale MP Graham Brady has written to Tony Blair asking him to take a robust line in the negotiations over the Food Supplements directive. The Directive could threaten the availability of a number of perfectly harmless food supplements and minerals. Some Member States are taking a restrictive approach to the regulation of supplements and their negotiators are trying to block the availability of certain minerals. The Prime Minister has in the past indicated that the regulations are wholly disproportionate to the risks faced. Graham Brady has asked him to ensure that British negotiators take a firm stance against those who would see a number of vitamins and supplements outlawed.

Graham Brady said:

' Thousands of my constituents currently take these supplements and believe they keep them healthy and help combat a number of debilitating conditions.   People feel very strongly that these regulations would interfere unnecessarily and deprive them of a number of vitamins and supplements which they have taken perfectly safely over a number of years. Tony Blair has spoken out against these regulations before, calling them wholly disproportionate. Now I am asking him to follow his words with political leadership in the negotiations with other EU states to ensure that our vitamins and supplements are not regulated out of existence.'

Mr Brady has also written to the EU Commissioner for Health and Consumer protection Markos Kyprianou asking that his officials do not bring forward proposals which would unreasonably restrict access by consumers to safe and popular dietary supplements of their choice.

NB Consumers for health choice are running a campaign to ensure that people continue to have access to safe and popular products. Their backers include Sir Paul McCartney, Sir Elton John, Sir Cliff Richard and a host of celebrity supporters. They will shortly be distributing 1 million leaflets though UK Health food shops warning people that their access to these products is being threatened.

Altrincham and Sale West MP Graham Brady has criticized   the Liberal Democrats for voting   alongside Labour MPs in favour of   a ban on selection in existing schools.

Graham Brady said :

'Locally the Liberal Democrats say they support our excellent grammar schools and high schools, yet in Parliament Liberal Democrat MPs went into the lobby to vote to end selection.    I am afraid that saying whatever they think is popular locally and doing the exact opposite in Westminster is part of what it means to be a Liberal Democrat. Seasoned political observers will not be surprised by this blatant dishonesty, but I want to make sure that people are aware that the Liberal Democrats voted to dismantle our local schools.'

The vote came during the Education and Inspections Bill debate in the House of Commons on 24 th May 2006 An amendment introduced by Labour's David Chaytor MP   would have ended selection for existing grammar and high schools. The amendment was defeated despite Liberal Democrat support.  

Graham Brady commented :

'Trafford's schools are the best performing in the country with 70.2% of   pupils getting 5 A* - C GCSEs last year compared to the 57% national average. The system works extremely well for ALL children living in Trafford, yet the Liberal Democrats, in collusion with Labour, want to destroy it. It defies commonsense and parents will be appalled at this attempt to wreck our excellent schools.'   

15th March 2006

4.59 pm

Mr. Graham Brady (Altrincham and Sale, West) (Con): Like my hon. Friend the Member for Havant (Mr. Willetts), I think that the Bill is, on balance, a good thing. It is a small step in the right direction. I have several reservations about it, but in some ways the saddest aspect of the Bill is the extent to which it now falls short of what was promised in the White Paper. In particular, having seen how charter schools in some of the most deprived areas of the US work incredibly well, I was excited to read what the Prime Minister wrote in his foreword to the White Paper. He pointed to the successes of charter schools, and to the success of school choice in Florida, so I was sorry to find that the Bill did not contain any of that radical edge. I hope that we will try to restore it as the Bill goes through the House.

Mr. John Hayes (South Holland and The Deepings) (Con): We will.

Mr. Brady: I am delighted that my hon. Friend on the Front Bench confirms that we will try to do so.

The other matter about which I want to speak is academic selection. Sadly, the Bill is even more timid in its approach to that than it is about school choice. Selection is a facet of education policy and debate that is more bogged down with outdated ideological baggage than any other. In raising educational standards, we should not let ideology determine policy. What matters is what works, and I want to talk about what works.

In his excellent foreword to the White Paper, the Prime Minister made no criticism of grammar schools, but correctly identified low-achieving secondary moderns as the cause of the pressure that led to the spread of comprehensive education in many areas. My hon. Friend the Member for Salisbury (Robert Key) made the same point.

I shall quote briefly from a book written in 1998 by Stephen Pollard and someone called Andrew Adonis. It stated:

"In 1965, the Labour-controlled House of Commons resolved that moving to a comprehensive system would preserve all that is valuable in grammar school education . . . and make it available to more children. Few would maintain that this has in fact been the case."

 
15 Mar 2006 : Column 1532

Later in the book, the authors state:

"The comprehensive revolution tragically destroyed much of the excellent without improving the rest. Comprehensive schools have largely replaced selection by ability with selection by class and house price. Middle class children now go to middle class comprehensives. Far from bringing classes together, England's schools--private and state--are now a force for rigorous segregation."

Such thinking has clearly informed the White Paper, and I welcome it very much, although it is sadly lacking from the Bill.

Mr. Jamie Reed (Copeland) (Lab): Will the hon. Gentleman confirm that he is opposed to selection by ability?

Mr. Brady: I am sorry, I did not catch that.

Mr. Reed: Will the hon. Gentleman tell the House what his position is on selection by ability?

Mr. Brady: I propose to do that at the length that I am allowed by the time limit on speeches. The hon. Gentleman will not be disappointed.

Some areas, such as my own borough of Trafford in Greater Manchester, took another route in respect of education at that time. Instead of scrapping our excellent grammar schools, we set about raising the standard of our secondary moderns. That is a model that hon. Members with open minds who genuinely care about educational outcomes will want to take seriously, as the system in Trafford works better than any comprehensive system in England.

Here are the facts. Last year, 70.2 per cent. of children in Trafford gained five or more A* to C grades at GCSE. That compares with 51 per cent. in Bolton, which is represented by the Secretary of State, or 56 per cent. in Worcestershire, where the constituency of the Minister for Schools is situated. In Bury--and I see that the hon. Member for Bury, North (Mr. Chaytor) is in the Chamber--where the social profile is broadly similar, the figure is 58 per cent. In Trafford, a wholly selective area, more than 70 per cent. of children get five or more good GCSEs. That compares with 60 per cent. in leafier Cheshire next door, 54 per cent. in Oxfordshire, 61 per cent. in Hampshire, and 56 per cent. in West Sussex.

Barbara Keeley (Worsley) (Lab): I thank the hon. Gentleman for giving way, and he will know that I was responsible for education in Trafford from 2000 until 2004. The statistics that he has read out are very impressive, but I have to tell him that we encountered many difficulties. We had problems with admissions, as some schools were oversubscribed and it was very difficult to get looked-after children or those with special needs into them. That was one of the most difficult jobs in the country. Moreover, in the period when I was responsible for education in Trafford, there was always one school that was failing or subject to special measures. The hon. Gentleman must be careful when he quotes those statistics, as there is a danger that they are partial and do not take account of the problems that the Trafford system caused.
 
15 Mar 2006 : Column 1533
 

Mr. Brady: The hon. Lady is absolutely right; there are problems and difficulties with any system of education. The point is that, in Trafford, we managed to overcome those problems and get the best results in the country. The hon. Lady should be pleased about that.

The rigour and transparency of selection helped to ensure high standards of primary education long before the publication of performance data. Equally striking is the extent to which these high standards are maintained throughout a pupil's school career. Richmond-upon-Thames tops the league table for primary schools; Trafford is second. Yet at GCSE level, Richmond slides down the rankings to 69th place, with only 55 per cent of children getting five good GCSEs. Trafford maintains the momentum; we continue to top the table at GCSE and at A-level.

None of this, of course, is new. We heard an excellent speech earlier about the Northern Ireland selective system, which gets the best results in the whole of the United Kingdom. Last year, even the DFES admitted that

"between the ages of 11 and 15, pupils in wholly selective local education authorities make more progress than pupils in partially selective or non-selective authorities and that extra progress equates to pupils in wholly selective LEAs achieving approximately two grades higher in one GCSE than in non-selective LEAs."

The fact is that selective LEAs do better for all children across the board. If seven out of ten children in Trafford can get five good GCSEs, why not in Oxfordshire, where only half of children reach that level? If seven out of ten children in Redbridge, with selection, can get five decent GCSEs, why not in Hampshire, Westminster or Manchester--or why not in Bristol, where only half as many children get five good GCSEs as those living in Trafford or in Redbridge?

We all know that the same few LEAs dominate the top of the table for GCSE achievement: Trafford, Redbridge, Sutton, Buckinghamshire and Kingston upon Thames, all of which are selective. The case for selection has been made as eloquently by the Government's own value-added tables as by anything else. The value-added tables had been expected to knock the grammar schools off their perch. But between the ages of 11 and 14, of the 21 schools adding most value, 18 were grammar schools and the other three were independent. If value-added tables were a wheeze to show the effectiveness of comprehensives, it did not work.

Of course some comprehensives do work well--usually ones where pupils are taught in classes set by ability, because pupils learn better when they are engaged at the right level of ability. That is the way grammar schools operate; if grouping pupils according to ability within schools is effective and desirable, it should be acceptable also to group pupils according to ability between schools. What matters is what works. Perhaps that is why today's ICM poll shows that 70 per cent. of the public would like more grammar schools, while only 21 per cent. oppose them.

Trafford's outstanding results are achieved not just because of the grammar schools, but because of the quality of the high schools that stand in the place of the failed secondary moderns of the 1960s--proud, high achieving schools with a rich pattern of specialisms,
 
15 Mar 2006 : Column 1534
 
from sport to technology. We can judge the effectiveness of the high schools by the results that they produce. Do not forget: the most academically inclined children have gone elsewhere.

The national average for children achieving five good GCSEs in 2005 was 57 per cent. Ashton on Mersey high school in my constituency, also a specialist sports college, easily beat the national average: 62 per cent. of pupils got five good GCSEs. Down the road at Wellington, 73 per cent.--16 percentage points above the national average for children of all abilities--got five good GCSEs. Children at Trafford's high schools are receiving a better education and getting better results than at most comprehensives.

Indeed, if you exclude the performance of Trafford's grammar schools, with roughly the top 40 per cent. of the ability range, the high schools on their own would come 65th out of 148 LEAs in England, ahead of Richmond-upon-Thames and many others. Trafford is perhaps the perfect example of the successful, diverse state education system that the Prime Minister and Lord Adonis so rightly want to achieve--a system that, in the words of the White Paper, takes full account of "how different young people acquire knowledge and skills".

All of us here today want higher standards in schools. I am not claiming that what we do in Trafford can work everywhere, and I certainly would not seek to impose it on other parts of the country. But I am asking all hon. Members to look at the facts that I have put before the House. If they do so with an open mind, they will find it impossible to rule out the use of selection as a part of the modern, diverse provision of schools that our children need.

11/09/06

MP ACTS TO RESOLVE SEWAGE ROW

Altrincham and Sale West MP Graham Brady has intervened to help residents’  in Altrincham whose homes have been affected by sewage flooding.

The roads affected are Newton, Brunswick and Bridgewater Roads (near Halfords) - houses have been flooded on several occasions.

The MP attended a packed residents’ meeting last Monday when angry home owners were able to make their views known to United Utilities.

United Utilities told the meeting that they were proposing to carry out ‘tests and modelling’ over the next twelve months or so before considering a scheme of improvement. The work itself could continue for several months.

Graham Brady said:

‘I am not satisfied with this timescale. According to United Utilities proposals, it could be as long as two years before the problem is sorted out - residents are living in fear every time there is heavy rain.  There are serious health implications associated with sewage flooding and people want to see something done now. I have written to OFWAT asking them to intervene and give United Utilities a deadline and I have tabled a Parliamentary question asking the government what powers it has to force companies to take action over sewage flooding.  I hope that United Utilities will be persuaded to tackle this problem as a matter of urgency.’