Monday, January 31, 2005
Congratulations to Fircroft!
One of the joys of being a Councillor and Parliamentary candidate for your own area is that rather then simply empathasing with the good news of organisations you don't really understand or know about, there's a good chance that you've actually been involved with the community in bringing it about.
A great example of what I'm talking about is the recent inspection report carried out by OFSTED on Fircroft primary school.
I used to attend Fircroft as a child as did many members of my family. I have been a governor there now for more then 11 years and my eldest daughter is now a pupil in its reception class.
Ofsted's inspectors concluded that Fircroft was a good school. They commended the excellent headteacher, Anne Wilson and her management team, as well as the governors. The also thought the schools links with parents, other schools and the community were very good. They found what most of us already know that " Pupils' attitudes and behaviour are very good overall and there is a strong sense of community within the school."
I am pleased that Ofsted prepare a really straightforward summary of the inspection which the school has circulated to all parents and carers. You'll eventually be able to read the report on the Ofsted website - although they haven't yet had a chance to put the most recent report up, the 1999 inspection and reports on other Wandsworth schools can be found at:
http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/reports/index.cfm?fuseaction=listByLea&lea=212&type=primary
The inspection did identify areas where the school could improve. I am really pleased Anne and her team have already begun looking at ways of making the school even better and dealing with the areas identified by the inspection team.
Sadiq
A great example of what I'm talking about is the recent inspection report carried out by OFSTED on Fircroft primary school.
I used to attend Fircroft as a child as did many members of my family. I have been a governor there now for more then 11 years and my eldest daughter is now a pupil in its reception class.
Ofsted's inspectors concluded that Fircroft was a good school. They commended the excellent headteacher, Anne Wilson and her management team, as well as the governors. The also thought the schools links with parents, other schools and the community were very good. They found what most of us already know that " Pupils' attitudes and behaviour are very good overall and there is a strong sense of community within the school."
I am pleased that Ofsted prepare a really straightforward summary of the inspection which the school has circulated to all parents and carers. You'll eventually be able to read the report on the Ofsted website - although they haven't yet had a chance to put the most recent report up, the 1999 inspection and reports on other Wandsworth schools can be found at:
http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/reports/index.cfm?fuseaction=listByLea&lea=212&type=primary
The inspection did identify areas where the school could improve. I am really pleased Anne and her team have already begun looking at ways of making the school even better and dealing with the areas identified by the inspection team.
Sadiq
Friday, January 28, 2005
The Holocaust remembered
Yesterday I attended the borough's Holocaust memorial event at Graveney School .
There were excellent and moving performances by Klezmer Klub and South West Youth Theatre. Readings included "Anne from Amsterdam", "First they came", "Holocaust survivors tesimony", A Rwandan Genocide survivors testimony, "Mental Fight" by Ben Okri and much much more.
In addition to remembering the millions who were killed by Hitler's "final solution" and the 60th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz on January 27th 1945, we also need to remember other victims of genocide.
Atrocities that have been perpetrated in the last 60 years include those of Cambodia and Rwanda, the genocidal massacre of Bosnian Muslims at Srebrenica, mass killings in Darfur, Kosovo, Chechnya.
We as individuals, as individual nations and as a family of nations need to focus our moral vision and rededicate our commitment to prevent current and future inhumanity, state brutality and crimes against humanity.
There were excellent and moving performances by Klezmer Klub and South West Youth Theatre. Readings included "Anne from Amsterdam", "First they came", "Holocaust survivors tesimony", A Rwandan Genocide survivors testimony, "Mental Fight" by Ben Okri and much much more.
In addition to remembering the millions who were killed by Hitler's "final solution" and the 60th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz on January 27th 1945, we also need to remember other victims of genocide.
Atrocities that have been perpetrated in the last 60 years include those of Cambodia and Rwanda, the genocidal massacre of Bosnian Muslims at Srebrenica, mass killings in Darfur, Kosovo, Chechnya.
We as individuals, as individual nations and as a family of nations need to focus our moral vision and rededicate our commitment to prevent current and future inhumanity, state brutality and crimes against humanity.
Thursday, January 27, 2005
My January constituency engagements
This month's been another of council meetings, getting out and about in the community, meeting with local people and continuing to represent Tooting. Some of the things I've been up to include:
- Attending the Council's Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee - this new committee monitors the work of the NHS in Wandsworth, particularly St George's Hospital. I raisied a number of matters that had been put to me including;
- Consulting on the draft vision statement setting out proposed principles for health scrutiny
- Highlighting the alarmingly low levels of Wandsworth residents giving up smoking - nationally smoking accounts for 31% of deaths. In Wandsworth, the proportion is 34%. Wansworth was ranked 302nd out of 303 Primary care Trusts in the country in terms of number of people succesfully quitting smoking
- Investigating the financial difficulties facing St Geoges Healthcare NHS Trust. The Trust has a projected deficit of £20m for 2004/5.
- Exploring ways to provide other services so that patients only use the Accident and Emergency centre for genuine problems and improve co-ordination between different services offering unscheduled care
- Emphasising the need to respond more effectively to the needs of people with mental health problems, to reduce the need for emergencey care for people with chronic illness and to increase the capacity of St Georges's to manage admissions from A&E.
- Discussing the Government's White Paper "Choosing Health" which identifies four key lifestyle issues that must be addressed to improve national quality of life: smoking, obesity, alcohol consumption and sexual health. Overall, £1bn over 3 years is being spent on national advertising campaigns, school nurses, health trainers, obesity services and sexual health services
I've also:
- Attended the Stop and Search Action Team meeting - I am one of a handful of representatives from the community to be chosen to serve on this Community Panel. The SSAT was launched by the Home Office on 2nd July to make sure that police forces use the Stop and Search powers fairly. Specifically SSAT aims to increase the confidence that the minority ethnic communities have in the police: further details can be found on www.cjsonline.gov.uk
- Organised street stalls in Tooting Town Centre outisde Primark obtaining names on a petition demanding that the Tory Council cleans up Tooting
- Met with the new Home Secretary Charles Clarke MP and Home Office Minister (and former Wandsworth Councillor!) Fiona Mactaggart MP
- Represented local residents at the Council's Planning Applications Committee. One of the applications discussed was the development at Ernest Bevin College - it was agreed unanimously to give permission for the improvements I've talked about elsewhere on this blog.
- Chaired a meeting of parents and staff at Gatton Primary School
- Attended Wandsworth Police Contact Centre and visited most shops in Tooting High Street and Upper Tooting Road wishing retailers and shoppers a Happy New Year and Eid Mubarrak
- Was the guest speaker at the Wandsworth Refugee Network meeting at the Uper Tooting Methodist Church speaking on asylum and immigration.
- Attended the "promoting peace" conference at Baitul Futuh Centre in Morden with London Borough Mayors, GLA members, Lords and MPs
- Celebrated the Muslims festival of Eid at the Tooting Islamic Centre
- Attended Tooting Single Regeneration Partnership Board (YPAC) meeting
- Addressed a meeting of Tooting Labour Party alongside Matthew Taylor, who is one of the people working on the Government's General Election manifesto
- I also went to Labour's National Policy Forum at the Institute of Education which where the Prime Minister and other key ministers set out precisely how Britain is working again and why we mustn't let the Tories wreck it. You may have seen this covered in the News.
- Met with year 10 pupils at Graveney School to discuss ID cards.
And my engagements all round the constituency will increase as we get closer and closer to the election - which could be in as little as thirteen weeks' time!
If you'd like me to attend a function you're involved with, do please give my constituency office a call on 8767 9660. I'll do my best to get along.
Sadiq
Monday, January 17, 2005
Tories attack "too many" Tooting street wardens!
I read with incredulity the comments made by the Tory cabinet member for the environment in last week's Wandsworth Borough News at the brilliant news that our Labour Government had decided to extend funding by another year for Tooting's street wardens.
Rather then welcoming this investment in making Tooting streets even safer, she moans about Tooting being "over staffed" and there being "too many" wardens in Tooting!
It is quite outrageous that our Tory Council refused to pay for Tooting's excellent wardens once the start-up funds given by the Government expired - as they knew they would: it was part of the deal to establish the scheme.
Now that the Government has generously given a lifeline to the wardens, much to the delight of Tooting residents, the Tory Cabinet member for environment is disappointed! Typical topsy-turvy priorities of the Conservative council.
Our Police do an excellent job.With the addition of our safer neighbourhood teams between now and March and the renewed investment in our street wardens in Tooting we should be welcoming the Governments continued commitment in making Tooting and Wandsworth an even safer place to live. Lets not play party politics with crime.
Sadiq
Rather then welcoming this investment in making Tooting streets even safer, she moans about Tooting being "over staffed" and there being "too many" wardens in Tooting!
It is quite outrageous that our Tory Council refused to pay for Tooting's excellent wardens once the start-up funds given by the Government expired - as they knew they would: it was part of the deal to establish the scheme.
Now that the Government has generously given a lifeline to the wardens, much to the delight of Tooting residents, the Tory Cabinet member for environment is disappointed! Typical topsy-turvy priorities of the Conservative council.
Our Police do an excellent job.With the addition of our safer neighbourhood teams between now and March and the renewed investment in our street wardens in Tooting we should be welcoming the Governments continued commitment in making Tooting and Wandsworth an even safer place to live. Lets not play party politics with crime.
Sadiq
Friday, January 14, 2005
Wandsworth Tories still fail our kids
I suppose its unavoidable in this day and age that when yet another set of thoroughly disappointing educational results for Wandsworth get published the Tories go into overdrive to pretend that white is black and that what is poor performance is good.
In Labour's Autumn newsletter, we exposed the systematic let-down since 1990 of Wandsworth pupils, teachers and governors by the Tory Council. In particular we highlighted:
The Tories' claimed, in their council news-release, that Wandsworth schools "were the best in South London". Were that were true. It isn't. Kingston, Sutton and Richmond - all south London boroughs - substantially out-performed Wandsworth in the key indicator of pupils leaving school with 5 or more GCSEs.
Across London Wandsworth yet again came-in behind Hammersmith & Fulham, Camden, Newham, Kensington & Chelsea, Redbridge, Hounslow, Havering, Harrow, Enfield, Ealing, Croydon, Bromley, Brent, Bexley and Barnet. Is this dismal ranking really something to celebrate?
Let's turn to those 16 year olds leaving school with no qualifications. In Wandsworth, 4.6% of pupils - nearly 1 in 20 - leave school without a single exam pass to their name. In Lambeth, the comparable figure is just 2%. Wandsworth is also worse on this measure than the chronically deprived boroughs of Camden, Hackney, Islington, Lewisham, Newham, Tower Hamlets and Brent, as well as Hammersmith & Fulham, Bromley, Croydon, Bexley, Westminster, Barnet, Ealing, Enfield, Harrow, Havering, Hounslow, Kingston, Richmond, Redbridge, Sutton....shall we go on? What a lamentable record - dressed up as triumph by the Tory spinmasters.
However you measure it, Wandsworth is failing: the average points score of all our GCSE pupils is 95.4%. The London average is 96.3% - and even inner London schools collectively do better than Wandsworth. Yet the council wants us to believe we're near the top of the league table. Put simply they're lying.
Let's be clear: the responsibility for Wandsworth's persistent, consistent poor results lies fairly and squarely with the Tory council. Their atrocious leadership, their gross underfunding of our schools, topped by their disgusting theft of the £500,000 intended to go straight to the teachers, but diverted by the Council to employ bureaucrats is solely to blame.
This is more than just some tedious, meaningless tit-for-tat war of words: behind these failing statistics are real Wandsworth kids being failed and leaving schools with their prospects signficantly damaged because the Tories couldn't care less about them.
Nationally, growing numbers clearly see how government investment in education is improving literacy and numeracy - we are now beginning to lead the world in some of these important skills. We in Wandsworth should be benefiting too, but we're not because of the cold, dead hand of this Council's dogmatic failings. I congratulate pupils, parents and governors for achieving the results they did in the face of this council's damaging failure to lead. But just think what we could achieve with new leadership. We can do better. We must do better.
Sadiq
Note: You can compare verifiable fact with Tory faction on the Department for Education & Skills website: http://www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000549/SFR01-2005v3.pdf then go to page 36 of the document.
In Labour's Autumn newsletter, we exposed the systematic let-down since 1990 of Wandsworth pupils, teachers and governors by the Tory Council. In particular we highlighted:
- the fact that Wandsworth pupils constantly leave schools with fewer, poorer GCSEs and A-levels than their next-door friends in Labour-run Hammersmith & Fulham
- the fact that Wandsworth spends the least on secondary education of any inner London council
- the fact that the number of pupils in Putney passing their GCSEs has actually FALLEN despite the nationwide increase in exam pass-rates.
- the fact that Wandsworth robbed schools of £500,000 specifically intended for them by the Government: the only local authority in the country to do so
- the fact that at key stage 3, Wandsworth pupils do worse even than Lambeth kids
- the fact that more Wandsworth pupils leave school with no qualifications than any other inner London borough except (also Tory-run) Kensington & Chelsea
The Tories' claimed, in their council news-release, that Wandsworth schools "were the best in South London". Were that were true. It isn't. Kingston, Sutton and Richmond - all south London boroughs - substantially out-performed Wandsworth in the key indicator of pupils leaving school with 5 or more GCSEs.
Across London Wandsworth yet again came-in behind Hammersmith & Fulham, Camden, Newham, Kensington & Chelsea, Redbridge, Hounslow, Havering, Harrow, Enfield, Ealing, Croydon, Bromley, Brent, Bexley and Barnet. Is this dismal ranking really something to celebrate?
Let's turn to those 16 year olds leaving school with no qualifications. In Wandsworth, 4.6% of pupils - nearly 1 in 20 - leave school without a single exam pass to their name. In Lambeth, the comparable figure is just 2%. Wandsworth is also worse on this measure than the chronically deprived boroughs of Camden, Hackney, Islington, Lewisham, Newham, Tower Hamlets and Brent, as well as Hammersmith & Fulham, Bromley, Croydon, Bexley, Westminster, Barnet, Ealing, Enfield, Harrow, Havering, Hounslow, Kingston, Richmond, Redbridge, Sutton....shall we go on? What a lamentable record - dressed up as triumph by the Tory spinmasters.
However you measure it, Wandsworth is failing: the average points score of all our GCSE pupils is 95.4%. The London average is 96.3% - and even inner London schools collectively do better than Wandsworth. Yet the council wants us to believe we're near the top of the league table. Put simply they're lying.
Let's be clear: the responsibility for Wandsworth's persistent, consistent poor results lies fairly and squarely with the Tory council. Their atrocious leadership, their gross underfunding of our schools, topped by their disgusting theft of the £500,000 intended to go straight to the teachers, but diverted by the Council to employ bureaucrats is solely to blame.
This is more than just some tedious, meaningless tit-for-tat war of words: behind these failing statistics are real Wandsworth kids being failed and leaving schools with their prospects signficantly damaged because the Tories couldn't care less about them.
Nationally, growing numbers clearly see how government investment in education is improving literacy and numeracy - we are now beginning to lead the world in some of these important skills. We in Wandsworth should be benefiting too, but we're not because of the cold, dead hand of this Council's dogmatic failings. I congratulate pupils, parents and governors for achieving the results they did in the face of this council's damaging failure to lead. But just think what we could achieve with new leadership. We can do better. We must do better.
Sadiq
Note: You can compare verifiable fact with Tory faction on the Department for Education & Skills website: http://www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000549/SFR01-2005v3.pdf then go to page 36 of the document.
Friday, January 07, 2005
Tooting wardens saved from Tory chop: thanks to Labour
Labour Ministers have stepped in to fund Tooting's street wardens that were threatened with the axe when Tory-run Wandsworth Council was to have inherited responsibility for them later this year.
My Labour colleagues and I have been lobbying hard to save our street wardens; to avoid them going the same way as Clapham Junction's wardens, who are being sacked by the Tory council in a few weeks' time. The Government has now guaranteed support for the Tooting street wardens through until 2006.
The street wardens have had a dramatic impact on cutting street crimes; some crimes - like car crimes are down by as much as a third since they started patrolling Tooting streets.
When the schemes were introduced last year, it was always on the understanding that the Government would only provide start-up funds, and thereafter it would be for the local councils in whose patch the wardens operate to take responsibility for them. Other councils have leapt at the chance to carry-on this high-profile, highly-effective service: Wandsworth Conservatives promised to chop them.
This is a classic example of the warped priorities of the Conservatives, and why it really matters who you vote for at the General Election. Labour is delivering for Tooting, the Tories promise more neglect, more cuts. Tooting is working. Don't let the Tories wreck it.
Sadiq
My Labour colleagues and I have been lobbying hard to save our street wardens; to avoid them going the same way as Clapham Junction's wardens, who are being sacked by the Tory council in a few weeks' time. The Government has now guaranteed support for the Tooting street wardens through until 2006.
The street wardens have had a dramatic impact on cutting street crimes; some crimes - like car crimes are down by as much as a third since they started patrolling Tooting streets.
When the schemes were introduced last year, it was always on the understanding that the Government would only provide start-up funds, and thereafter it would be for the local councils in whose patch the wardens operate to take responsibility for them. Other councils have leapt at the chance to carry-on this high-profile, highly-effective service: Wandsworth Conservatives promised to chop them.
This is a classic example of the warped priorities of the Conservatives, and why it really matters who you vote for at the General Election. Labour is delivering for Tooting, the Tories promise more neglect, more cuts. Tooting is working. Don't let the Tories wreck it.
Sadiq
Tuesday, January 04, 2005
Visit to Upper Tooting Methodist Church
On Sunday 2nd January I had the pleasure of attending the Covenant Sunday service at Upper Tooting Methodist Church.
Reverend Elisha Moloi gave a moving and very emotional sermon about the events in South east Asia and made appeals for the Methodist Relief and development Fund. (more information about the appeal can be obtained from scott@methodistchurch.org.uk).
I was really touched to be asked to do one of the two readings. I read from Ezekiel 47: 1-12. It was really impressive to see so many young members of our community present also.
Sadiq
Reverend Elisha Moloi gave a moving and very emotional sermon about the events in South east Asia and made appeals for the Methodist Relief and development Fund. (more information about the appeal can be obtained from scott@methodistchurch.org.uk).
I was really touched to be asked to do one of the two readings. I read from Ezekiel 47: 1-12. It was really impressive to see so many young members of our community present also.
Sadiq
