The Campaigner Gina Miller

The True And Fair Founder On The Need To See Past Politicisation In Our Schools

We have 167,000 charities in the United Kingdom – that’s a phenomenal number. But we have only one or two parenting charities.That’s a pity because the days of learning parenting from your own parents have gone: the family network isn’t there as it once was. You can’t leave the welfare of children only up to the schools. When they’ve had initiatives in the past such as SureStart it got commandeered by middle class parents even though it wasn’t particularly aimed at them.These initiatives have failed to bring in the parents who really need the support.

Our schools could be used more as a hub to provide for the people who need assistance. Too many people are stuck in the idea of what a school is for. A school is actually to serve our community –it’s not just about educating people. If you think of it that way, you can utilise schools as a way of teaching in a wider sense. We don’t need to be so narrowly focussed.

Education, a bit like the NHS, has been used as a political football and political parties tend to guard their territory jealously. This is why I propose a fourth summer term. The weather can create a sense of summer school, and volunteering could enter the picture. One charity I know works with exservice people and they go in and teach sports. They understand that kids can get into mischief. They do phenomenal work – even the most difficult teenager will pull their socks up.

We also have a retiring population who have so much knowledge and experience and who are actually physically fitter than they were in the past. We need to