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School is key to ending poverty on the estates (From Swindon Advertiser)
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School is key to ending poverty on the estates
2:50pm Thursday 2nd October 2008
AS LITTLE boys kick a football around Cavendish Square in the Parks, councillor Fay Howard promises education will lift them out of poverty.
As reported in the Advertiser on Tuesday, figures from charity Barnardos revealed 65 per cent of children in the Parks are living on the breadline.
But Coun Howard (Lab, Parks) vowed that the area’s children would grow up with more opportunities than their parents had, as she showed the Adver around yesterday.
Already the Parks’ hub – Cavendish Square – is shaking off its dead skin of ramshackle buildings.
A spanking new Co-op has emerged with signs advertising a ‘free’ car park. A new and bigger health centre has also opened and the square’s advice point attracts flocks of people from around the town. Newly built flats are inviting potential buyers to move in after putting down a £99 deposit.
But echoes of the grip of a rundown past still abound with a boarded up Cock Robin pub, and Reuben George Hall surrounded by fencing.
Coun Howard says the credit crunch means Cavendish Square’s complete transformation may take longer than hoped but it will emerge. And children’s achievements will be part of that.
“I don’t doubt that there is child poverty here and as a councillor that greatly concerns me,” she said. “But education will give children a better future. We can see the difference already thanks to the children’s centre in Goddard Primary School. Goddard and Oaktree Primary are good schools.”
Councillor Howard defended her territory heartily, saying bad press deflated residents.
“People living here don’t feel it has a bad reputation,” she said. “The buzz comes from the community itself – not what it has. A street may have a bad reputation but I often hear residents saying: ‘it is not like that.’ Residents have a great community support with Swindon Walcot and Parks group and the Parks and Walcot Forum.”
“The reputation creates a cycle, but people living here see a different side to the Parks.”
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Your Say YourSwindon
Big Mac, Old Town says...
4:13pm Thu 2 Oct 08
"But education will give children better future."
We've had 11 years of Labour government and yet child poverty and benefit dependency are running at horrendous levels. From today's Guardian:
"Former Labour minister Clare Short today attacked the government's child poverty strategy after new figures revealed half of all children are living in or on the brink of poverty in many areas of the UK.
Research by the Campaign to End Child Poverty (ECPC) found more than a quarter (174) of all the UK's constituencies have at least half of children in families relying or benefits or working tax credit.
Short's Birmingham Ladywood constituency topped the grim league table with 81%, or 28,420, of its children in such families.
"These are disturbing figures, but they reflect the weakness of New Labour's anti-poverty strategy," Short said."
Councillor Howard's comments that education will end this poverty are, frankly, quite astonishing.
12 years ago, even before winning power, Blair promised the same thing - remember 'Education. Education. Education'?
Yet 11 years later we have record numbers of children leaving school without basic level qualifications, many unable to even read or write, and child poverty is running at shocking levels.
Why should we suddenly now believe that Labour can come good on these new pledges when they've failed so badly with their old pledges?
These empty promises and failed policies have gone on for far too.
tarot, Swindon says...
4:17pm Thu 2 Oct 08
I Too, Swindon says...
5:18pm Thu 2 Oct 08
Whatever will they think of next?
yeti, swindon says...
5:47pm Thu 2 Oct 08
Mum's The Word, Walcot, Swindon says...
9:25pm Thu 2 Oct 08
Fay is a full time nurse, as well as a local councillor. She works her arse off for the community of Park South. She is hardworking, down to earth and conscientious. She always puts her ward constituents first, regardless of party politics.
I have heard nothing but praise for Fay Howard and that includes praise from councillors of oppositional parties.
ItsPavAgain, Swindon says...
9:53am Fri 3 Oct 08
This would be a fair claim if the schools in Swindon weren't so absolutely appalling.
Even the best school in Swindon, Ridgeway (which is ironically in Wroughton) only had 55% of it's kids achieve five or more GCSEs at grades A* to C - which I believe is the minimum requirement to work in McDonalds.
Frankly, sending your kids to school in Swindon is tantamount to child abuse.
Big Mac, Old Town says...
10:33am Fri 3 Oct 08
"Councillor Fay Howard promises education will lift them out of poverty."
Have the residents of the Parks not been attending school for the past 20 or 30 years?
Labour came to power 11 years ago on Blair's promise of 'Education. Education. Education'.
So why is it that 11 years later Ms Howard is making meaningless promises that education will lift people out of poverty?
The residents of the Parks have had the same access to state education as anyone else in Swindon - so why are they still in poverty? And why might going to school today make their lives any different than going to school five years ago has?
Bobfm, South Marston says...
10:58am Fri 3 Oct 08
Lets forget we are told by sociologists that inner city/town deprivation leads to crime, and that jealousy is also a key element. So we have these new flats which will be targeted out of jealousy. So will it make the slightest difference. Lets hope so for the majority of decent people who undoubtedly live in the 'P's'.
Mum's The Word, Walcot, Swindon says...
5:24pm Fri 3 Oct 08
Education, reaching for the stars, believing in themselves, having confidence in their own abilities, being secure in the fact that others too have confidence in them and also realising that they can do better if need be, is an essential message we must give all children regardless of their social situation.
Your sayYour Swindon
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Fay Howard on the tour around Parks
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tarot, Swindon says...
3:36pm Thu 2 Oct 08
I live in the parks and these kids have new bikes, playstation's, wii's, xbox 360's and laptops.
It amazes me as my husband and I work full time and can ill afford any of the above.
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task-wage lmao