Wansbeck MP Ian Lavery discusses topical political issues with Ashington school pupils

Ian Lavery, who represents Wansbeck, visited Bothal Primary School to meet the school’s pupil leadership team on Thursday, January 25.

The Labour politician took questions on his journey to becoming a politician and his role in the trade union movement.

Pupils raised issues such as the cost of living crisis, the need for free school meals, and the school’s fundraising campaign for a new minibus. The MP also discussed poverty and climate change.

Louise Hall, executive headteacher at the school’s academy trust Ashington Learning Partnership, said: “The children were excited to meet their MP for the first time and fascinated to hear his thoughts on the key issues they had been debating recently in the pupil leadership team.

“We are really grateful to Ian for coming in to meet the children and finding out more about the challenges currently facing the education sector such as attendance, attracting staff, poverty, and strained school budgets.”

Ian said: “It was excellent to be given the opportunity to visit the school once again and to hear more about the progress at both Bothal and Central Primary Schools following their fantastic Ofsted reports.

“Then chatting about the issues concerning the school’s pupil leadership team was simply the icing on the cake.

“In Westminster it can be easy to become overwhelmed by the scale of the challenges we face, but every time I speak with young people here in Wansbeck I am reminded that our future is in safe hands.”