MP Tim Yeo letter to Suffolk County Council following the meeting at Westminster

Cllr Graham Newman
Portfolio Holder for Children, Schools and Young People’s Services
Suffolk County Council
Endeavour House
8 Russell Road
Ipswich
Suffolk
IP1 2BX

2 November 2009

Dear Cllr Newman,

As you may have heard from Jeremy Pembroke, I had a meeting last week with Nick Gibb MP, Shadow Minister for Schools and four members of the CLARE group who have been campaigning for a new upper school on the site of the current Clare Middle school.

We were very pleased to have a clear statement from Nick that the CLARE groups proposal’s were entirely in line with Conservative education policy and as such, where precisely the type of parent-led, community-backed new schools we will actively promote if elected to government in May.

Having seen the proposals yourself you will have been able to appreciate the considerable benefits of the CLARE proposal. Being built on the foundations of a school that is already working well, has a strong ethos and the Holy Grail in education – strong parent and community support.

I appreciate that the current plans for secondary schooling in Suffolk are based on guidelines and funding criteria virtually dictated by a Labour government. However, I hope that now you have taken over responsibility for the future of education in Suffolk, and bearing in mind the increasing financial uncertainty around the Building Schools for the Future Programme, you will be able to take a fresh and positive look at this alternative scheme.

At the very least I would urge you to use your authority to delay progress towards closing down Clare Middle School to ensure it will not too late to revisit this idea in the event of a highly supportive Conservative administration taking over in just six months.

Tim Yeo MP