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Extra tuition for school children from lower income families – No Cost
The Conservative Group recognise that more support is needed for our young people and the Council can support this. This amendment welcomes the support in extra funding being put into Bury Schools by the Conservative Government.
This amendment also recognises all the hard work by Conservative Councillors and the Member of Parliament for Bury South in securing a new High School for Radcliffe.
The Conservative Group also believe Bury must stive for the best and endeavour to provide a first-class education for young people. In this, improving Social mobility for our children from lower income families is vital to closing the attainment gap and improving their life chances.
A voucher scheme would be introduced by Bury Council to set up and assist schools in encouraging primary school children on Pupil Premium to access established third party tuition. Bury Council will work with a third-party provider to enable after school tuition for English and Maths[1].
Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Learning Fund - £50,000
The Conservative Group note that Greater Manchester is home to some of the world’s greatest advancements in science and engineering.
Two of the top ten discoveries by university academics and researchers were made at The University of Manchester. Birth of the first working computer Two University Manchester scientists are credited with running the world’s first stored programme computer. In the late 1940’s and early 1950’s they produced a series of breakthroughs in the early development of the computer. The contraceptive pill - Herchel Smith, a researcher at the University of Manchester, who in 1961 developed an inexpensive way of producing chemicals that can stop women ovulating during their monthly menstrual cycle[2].
Manchester has some very famous sons in physics with the discovery of the electron (J. J. Thomson, 1897), Proton (Rutherford, 1917) and the neutron by James Chadwick in 1934. All of these discoveries were by scientists either educated (Chadwick and Rutherford) or born (Thomson) in Manchester.
Manchester is home to a range of museums such as the Museum of Science and Industry which focuses on the success of the city’s developments in Science, Technology and Industry.
With all this deep history, the Conservative Group are committed to improving the education and promotion of STEM in schools. This budget amendment will create a £50,000 STEM Learning Reserve with the sole focus to promote STEM related learning.
The reserve will allow the creation for Bury to host the ‘STEM Festival of Learning’. An annual festival which will be funded by the Council for two years taking place in one of the towns Civic Venues. The festival will take place during school holidays with pop -up exhibitions and a range of activities to promote STEM.
Throughout the year there will be pop-up events across the town’s libraries, promoting STEM and utilising the new books and digital offerings from the £50,000 Library service investment.
The STEM Learning reserve includes the funding necessary for Public Relations and advertising. The Council will invite partners for the first year at no cost with a £25,000 reserve for the second year. Future years will be funded through sponsorship. The festival will be run by Bury Council partnering with Greater Manchester businesses, education establishments, charities and third-party organisations involved in STEM.
The STEM Learning festival not only celebrates our deep history but also gives a platform to invest and inspire the next generation of Great Mancunian Scientists, Engineers, Developers and Mathematicians. This will enable Bury to be a beacon Council for STEM both in Greater Manchester and across the United Kingdom.
The STEM Festival of Learning invests in the young people of today to be the leaders of tomorrow.
£50,000 Investment in books and digital resources for Bury library service
The Conservative Group note the decline in the Library Service following the Labour Councils decision to close libraries across the borough. A £50,000 investment to the library service will be ringfenced for the purchase on new books and the digital offer to encourage reading both online and at home.
The investment will ensure the Library Service is equipped with the latest titles to support reading across the Borough.
Teachers will be able to use the library service offer to support their lessons. An offer will be developed in partnership with the Council and Schools forum which will enable books to be sent to schools, if needed, to support learning of all ages – this will include e-book access for home schooling and homework.
Although the Labour Council reduced the Library Service offer in the borough this amendments ensures there is extra investment to promote learning across Bury.
[1] Bury Council would negotiate and promote the voucher scheme working closely with the Head Teachers Forum in Bury. The scheme would be administered by the primary schools. This would be funded from the pupil premium grant to schools thus cost neutral to the Council.
[2] Two University of Manchester discoveries in the top ten of all time - https://www.manchester.ac.uk/discover/news/two-university-of-manchester-discoveries-in-the-top-ten-of-all-time/