SCHOOLS, colleges and primaries sit at the heart of our communities and, as we approach the summer holidays, I want to thank all the fantastic members of staff who have ensured students right across the constituency continue to get the very best start in life.

I am always so impressed with the local students I meet, both in Parliament and on school visits, from Central Devon.

Recently I have had the privilege to visit Queen Elizabeth School Sixth Form in Crediton and also to meet students from Tedburn St Mary Primary and Okehampton College in Parliament. They are a credit to their excellent teachers.

In Crediton, I spoke to Year 12 and 13 students about politics, democracy, and how young people can get involved in shaping the future of the country.

I had the chance to discuss the history of Parliament with Tedburn St Mary’s Year 5 and 6s, and last week, I met Young Ambassadors from Okehampton College’s Year 9 and 10 who asked me a range of interesting and thoughtful questions on faith, religious education and inclusivity.

Events like these, where the excellence of our schools and the pride our students have for their different localities is so obvious, emphasise to me the importance of high quality local education.

This fosters a sense of community identity and belonging and is a key ingredient in ensuring our young people, as they raise a family, can remain in our rural towns and villages.

This is why I was very concerned to hear the news that there is a possibility that Okehampton College Sixth Form might have to close.

On Wednesday, I spoke with the Chief Executive of the Dartmoor Multi Academy Trust (DMAT) Rachel Shaw to discuss the future of the College’s post-16 provision.

I was reassured that DMAT are exploring all possible solutions to sustain post-16 learning at the College and I promised to assist with these efforts, including with letters to the Department of Education and other education providers.

I would encourage all residents of Okehampton concerned with this news to contribute to the consultation the Trust has launched which closes on July 8.

Nationally, the Government has not helped our rural schools.

The Chancellor’s budget allocated schools enough money for staff pay rises of 1.7 per cent, but then Labour accepted the Pay Review Body’s four per cent recommendation without offering our schools additional funding.

They did this for the pay for support staff as well, funding 0.9 per cent uplifts and then awarding 3.2 per cent uplifts, leaving many trusts hundreds of thousands of pounds worse off.

Ministers have also failed to appreciate demographics, with falling pupil numbers set against rising day-to-day running costs.

I will be making this point to the Chancellor and Secretary of State for Education on behalf of our local schools – it’s not right that schools and teachers have been promised extra staff and higher pay, but haven’t been given the necessary resources to properly fund these promises.

With GCSEs and A-level preparation happening in my own home this year, I appreciate just how stressful these past few months have been for students and teachers alike.

I want to wish the very best of luck and success to all those students in Central Devon who receive their results in August, and I hope they enjoy a well-deserved break before new challenges in September!