Since I was first elected in 2015, I have campaigned with parents and teachers for increased and fairer school funding for our area. Every child deserves to receive the best education possible and I know how hard the schools in our area work to provide high quality education.
I have raised the issue of school funding for many years and have arranged for headteachers and local education officials to meet with Department for Education Ministers on several occasions. I also led a petition on fairer funding. These actions have resulted in a new funding formula that has delivered millions of pounds of extra funding to schools across South East Cambridgeshire and the selection of East Cambridgeshire as one of only 12 "Opportunity Areas" in the United Kingdom. This has enabled the schools in the East Cambridgeshire to access a special £72 million fund.
A key educational focus of mine is SEND funding. Due to historic issues with how SEND funding is allocated, I know that Cambridgeshire experiences issues with its allocation in comparison to its need. Since my re-election in 2019, I have brought the Director of Education for Cambridgeshire to Westminster to raise our local issues on SEND funding with the Minister of State for School Standards.
I am pleased that the Government has responded to this with a commitment of £49 million for Cambridgeshire's SEND Transformation Programme, and £11.3 million capital funding for expanding SEND provision in our local mainstream schools. Together, this finance means we will see almost 600 new school places created in Cambridgeshire between 2023 and 2026, including 463 special school places.
I am setting my sights on improving training opportunities for young people locally, including through more good quality apprenticeships. I am also working to widen the number of constructive activities young people can do locally to empower them to make good choices and enjoy their youth.