Every child in Dover and Deal deserves the best possible start in life.

For too long, some of our local schools and services have been left without the support they need to thrive. That’s finally changing.

This year marks a new era for education, with Labour’s plans to raise school standards and support every child to reach their potential.

The government has replaced the old Ofsted headline grades — which reduced schools to a single label — with new School Report Cards, giving parents and teachers a fuller picture of how a school is performing and where it can improve.

At the heart of this new approach are the Rise teams — regional improvement for standards and excellence — which work directly with schools that have faced persistent challenges.

I’m especially proud that Astor Secondary School in Dover was the first secondary school in the country to join the programme – voluntarily.

The Rise initiative pairs each school with another for two years, creating a partnership where they can share expertise and learn from one another.

What stands out to me most is how the programme is built on collaboration, communication, and mutual respect.

Each school recognises that the other serves a different community with its own needs, so this isn’t about one school telling another how to run — it’s about offering guidance, sharing good practice, and setting shared goals that push both schools to improve.

I can’t help think this style of thinking can be transferred to many aspects of British communities.

Astor secondary school has been on my radar since meeting head teacher Lee Kane at the Dover, Deal and Sandwich Heads group, which is a forum set up by our constituency’s schools to work together to tackle the bigger picture issues that they all face.

The energy and ambition from staff and pupils alike is inspiring.

The school is improving leaps and bounds, with real momentum and confidence about the future.

It’s a shining example of what targeted support, strong leadership, and proper investment can achieve.

Under the old system, schools were often left to fend for themselves with limited funding and little guidance.

Now, with up to £100,000 of support available for each Rise school, teachers have the backing they need to deliver high and rising standards in every classroom.

Nationally, £20 million has been committed to ensure this new approach delivers real results.

We know that rebuilding our public services won’t happen overnight, but this is a strong first step.

It’s about putting fairness, opportunity, and local pride back at the heart of government.

In Dover and Deal, we’ve always believed in the potential of our young people.

What’s changing now is that government believes in it too — backing our teachers, investing in our schools, and supporting our councils to deliver for the communities they serve.

I’m proud of the progress being made at Astor, and I’m proud that Dover and Deal are leading the way in this national effort to give every child the best start in life.

Because when our children succeed, our whole community succeeds.