Rushanara Ali

On Friday 7th April, the Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted) published its report on children’s social care in Tower Hamlets. The report found that “there are widespread and serious failures in the services provided to children who need help and protection in Tower Hamlets. As a result, too many children remain in situations of actual or potential harm for too long.” Ofsted, therefore, gave the service an overall rating of “inadequate”.

School governors of a Tower Hamlets primary school proposed this week to change the name from Osmani School to Vallance Primary.

Rushanara Ali MP has called on the Government to support young apprentices from the most deprived areas of the country. With around 625,00 young people between the ages of 16 and 24 unemployed in the United Kingdom, Rushanara called on the government to maintain funding of the 'disadvantaged uplift' program that sees some of the poorest receive additional funding.

In the fifth day of debate on the Queen's Speech in the House of Commons MPs debated aspects of the speech relating to education, skills and training. The Prime Minister claimed the Queen’s Speech has bold reforms to remove all barriers to opportunity for our young people by measures such as the new Education for All Bill and the new Universities Bill. Today, young people are suffering from what the Equality and Human Rights Commission says are “the worst economic prospects for several generations”.

Rushanara Ali MP spoke in a debate in the Chamber to raise her concerns about changes to a new national funding formula for schools. She asked the Minister to confirm if these proposals would mean a £260 million pound cut to schools in London.  

Bethnal Green and Bow MP Rushanara Ali writes an opinion piece in the Guardian on social mobility ahead of youth leadership development and employability charity UpRising's launch of its emerging leaders network.

Rushanara Ali MP attacked the Government’s recent decision to replace maintenance grants with loans for lower income students through the back door using a statutory instrument which avoids proper parliamentary scrutiny.

Rushanara Ali MP campaigned for Labour to renew its commitment to the future of Bengali teaching in schools, in response to Government plans to cut Bengali language qualifications from the school curriculum alongside other foreign languages including Guajarati, Punjabi, Turkish and Polish.

Rushanara Ali MP urged the Government to take urgent action in redoubling its efforts to reduce youth unemployment and the numbers of young people in neither education nor training (NEET).

Rushanara Ali MP for Bethnal Green and Bow and Jim Fitzpatrick MP for Poplar and Limehouse, have written a joint letter to the Corporate Director of Education, Social Care and Wellbeing at Tower Hamlets Council, Robert McCulloch Graham, calling on the council to reverse the decision to cut essential funds for four nurseries in Tower Hamlets.