Education

The council's own Education Strategy admits that, in Hillingdon, four in ten children leave primary school without mastering reading, writing and maths. This is a failure of the fundamentals.

• Liberal Democrats will introduce an annual "Back to Basics" Report, published and presented to full council, tracking the proportion of children leaving primary school secure in reading, writing and maths, broken down by ward, ethnicity, and disadvantage. This will be a public accountability tool. Where children are being left behind, we will act.
• We will task the Cabinet Member for Children's Services with establishing a regular strategic forum bringing together primary and secondary head teachers, the Schools Forum, and council leadership. Together we can set shared priorities, track progress against clear outcomes, and hold all parties to account for delivering for Hillingdon's children.
• We will revitalise the Hillingdon Youth Parliament and school councils to establish a charter of pupil participation, ensuring that every secondary school has a properly resourced, democratically elected student council that is consulted on key decisions about teaching, behaviour, and the school environment.

Schools are part of children’s preparation for life and this is so much more than the formal curriculum. Pupils form friendships and learn to work co-operatively. School sports, drama, dance, music making etc. are crucial to learning the disciplines of working in teams. Financial pressures on schools and teacher time often cause the reductions in these vital activities. 

• Liberal Democrats will campaign to see that these activities are properly recognised and funded.

The government has promised £1.6bn for mainstream inclusion and an "Experts at Hand" service for SEND. The current council will point to its own efforts: bringing children back in-borough, expanding local capacity, etc. These are welcome. But they have also reduced support for some children, moving them from individual to group plans and cutting banding levels. These are savings achieved by narrowing entitlement, not improving outcomes; all while carrying a £65.9m Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) deficit and admitting it cannot predict or control its own spending. 

Liberal Democrats will conduct an independent investigation into the borough's readiness for SEND reform. The result will be a frank public report to parents on what must change locally.

But the DSG deficit is not the only threat. Across the country, private equity firms are circling SEND provision, treating vulnerable children as speculative assets. 

• Liberal Democrats will seek a cross-party campaign lobbying for the government to classify SEND provision as critical national infrastructure, giving ministers the power to block takeovers.

Pupil numbers are falling nationally. Hillingdon must plan for this. 

• Liberal Democrats will conduct a place-based review of school provision, with a simple principle: every community in the borough should retain access to a good local school. Where changes are proposed, including amalgamations, they must meet three tests: educational benefit for children, genuine community consultation, and long-term sustainability.

Our own data shows deep attainment gaps for disadvantaged children across several communities where privation and poor outcomes reinforce each other. We will not hide from this.

• The Liberal Democrats will track outcomes by ward, by disadvantage, and by ethnicity. Where the data shows children falling behind, we will publish a targeted action plan and work with schools to close the gap.

Too many young people leave education without a plan and end up not in education, employment or training (NEET). 

Liberal Democrats will seek collaborations with colleges, local employers, and training providers to establish a Hillingdon Guarantee: a clear offer of education, apprenticeship, or employment support for every 16–19-year-old who needs it.