We are very fortunate in Warwick and Leamington to have some great schools and many dedicated teachers.

Nationally, this government’s record on education is a dismal failure: four in ten 11-year olds cannot, read, write and add up properly; fewer pupils are gaining good GCSEs in the core subjects of English and Maths; over half a million children are in failing schools; the county’s education standards are falling dramatically in world rankings. The list goes on and on, storing up problems for all our futures.

The Conservatives have developed detailed plans to reverse this inexcusable situation including:

• Removing barriers to the establishment of new schools to create additional school places in the state system
• Re-ordering spending priorities to provide more resources for pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds, because we believe education is the key to opportunity and social mobility
• Freeing hundreds of good comprehensives from bureaucratic control so that they can become self-governing Academies
• Making the admission system simpler and fairer
• Shifting the balance of power from government to parents and teachers
• Promoting better discipline and improving support for teachers
• Halting the closure of special schools.

I believe it’s right to trust teachers and parents to make the decisions that are best for our children, free from government interference. And, as your MP, I would do everything I could to ensure that our education system – and local parents, teachers and students – get the support they need.