As a member of Parliament, you are privileged to be able to meet and visit a lot of groups and places across your constituency.
Whether that’s public agencies, private companies, local sports teams, or charities but during one of my most recent visits, I must admit to expressing some degree of bias.
On September 6, after many years of campaigning and lobbying the government and winning the funding from the Department for Education as the MP for Radcliffe, from spending time working with Radcliffe residents, our local council, across all political parties, I was able to see our new high school, Star Radcliffe Academy.
Surreal isn’t the word – it was truly inspiring to meet the principal Paul and his deputy Vicky.
Their experience, their ambition and energy for this school, our town and its families were obvious.
During my visit I was able to see the temporary building that currently houses the first intake.
Despite some of my concerns prior to the visit, I was impressed with the new equipment, and facilities and the space students had within the buildings.
There are currently 150 students in the first intake, housed in new prefabricated temporary buildings whilst the main school is constructed on site.
As a parent it was brilliant to see all the students engaged, with passionate teachers in the classrooms educating the next generation of leaders in Radcliffe.
One thing I hear when speaking to residents in Radcliffe is the lack of local facilities on the doorstep, with the new Radcliffe High school the location of the school couldn’t be better.
It will be a short walk away from two great community cricket clubs, a brand-new football training ground on Redbank Playing Fields, and a few minutes’ walk to a state-of-the-art leisure centre at Radcliffe Civic Hub.
Furthermore, as we look to encourage more people to use public transport, the tram stop opposite the school and the bus station in the town centre will be critical to ensuring students from across Radcliffe and the borough can access the school easily and safely with the new Bee Network.
Getting to this stage has not been easy, and no doubt there are challenges that remain whether that’s the timescales of building the permanent building or ensuring over the long term the school remains the top choice for parents and students in Radcliffe.
Despite the challenges, when local people from all corners, across all political persuasions, are driven in one common cause, the goal can be achieved.
The challenge was losing two high schools, the goal was gaining one excellent high school.
Now we have achieved that first step, we must continue to make sure this school is the best in the borough.
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