Angela Smith MP: Does Sheffield really need Chapeltown Academy?

Labour MP Angela Smith writes about her adjournment debate on a new academy in her constituency. Chapeltown is a small town located in the Blackburn valley, on the edge of Sheffield. It is an area which also boasts a fine legacy with regard to state education. One of the early pioneers was Lady Mabel Smith, sister of the 7th Earl Fitzwilliam, who as a Labour councillor worked tirelessly to develop education for the children of local workers, including miners and steelworkers. Her name is remembered still at the local comprehensive, the old Ecclesfield grammar, which boasts among its ts alumni the late, great actor Donald Pleasence and the author Barry Hines. Nobody, therefore, can accuse the area of having lacked ambition for its young people and that tradition continues, for after a period of difficulty Ecclesfield Comprehensive has found inspirational leadership in headteacher Joel Wirth and the school goes from strength to strength. The proposal to open a new free school in the area, however, goes against the grain of that legacy. Chapeltown Academy’s vision may well talk about increasing the aspirations of young people to attend the world’s best universities and indeed there’s nothing wrong with such aspirations, but our legacy is one which wants to develop the potential of all young people, not just a select few. We believe that the technicians and the engineers of the future are as important as the professionals and the academics and we want to provide an education system in South Yorkshire which enables all young people to follow their talents and find their way into a successful career. For some years now we have seen partnership working in the city, dedicated to ensuring a healthy mix of post-16 options for education and training, and Sheffield now plays host to a number of sixth forms as well as a large and successful FE College. We have a 6th form college in one of the city’s most deprived areas and a brand new UTC, focused on engineering. There is more to do, of course. For example, we need to do more to meet the needs of employers in the Sheffield City Region. In particular, we have suffered for some time now a serious shortage of engineers, a problem which will not be solved unless we see government supporting the combined efforts of local education commissioners and manufacturing employers to foster a stronger culture of engagement in vocational education post-16. In this context, the proposal for Chapeltown Academy sits rather awkwardly. The city already deploys a range of post -16 options for A-level students. Not only that, Chapeltown borders both Rotherham and Barnsley, where a further range of A-level options are available. On the other hand, our area is still short of what is needed by way of vocational opportunities. Not only that , we are also experiencing a growing problem in relation to primary school places. In this climate, can it be right to see precious government resources flow into a project which will do nothing to either close the skills gap afflicting Sheffield City Region or meet the needs of local primary children? I think not. There are better ways of deploying education and capital revenue and I hope the Minister tomorrow is prepared to concede that point.