Recently I visited Hedworth Lane Primary School in Boldon Colliery to take part in their Sports Relief day and on Monday Schools Minister Vernon Coaker called into Bedewell School in Hebburn to see what good work is going on there as well. This Friday I have the honour of officially opening the new Jarrow School which I attended as a young lad. All of these visits allow us to see first hand what a fantastic job is being done by staff, parents, the Council and the Government in improving the educational well being of our Borough.

Since Labour won the 1997 general election, it was made clear that our main priority was to be education. We did this because we were faced with the legacy of 18 years of de-industrialisation in areas like South Tyneside. If the old jobs were not going to be there for our young people, we embarked on a plan to educate and boost the aspirations of the young people in our area. To that extent the Government has more than doubled investment in education in South Tyneside.

After years in which our schools were left to crumble this Government has created the largest programme of school building renewal in history making schools unrecognisable from the days of neglect under the Tories. This together with secondary teacher numbers increasing from 590 to 670 have resulted in excellent GCSE and A-Level results demonstrating that our record investment is paying off. 

But we will not stop there. By working in co-operation with the council, parents and staff we will not rest until the young people in our area get the same educational advantages that the wealthy do. Our joint aim must be to ensure that the millions of pounds worth of investment which is transforming our schools helps all young people make the most of their potential. As a Government, we are committed to encouraging young people to do just that.