Shadow minister Bridget Phillipson meets Blackpool pupils as she pledges to tackle education inequalities

The group gathered for a debate held at Montgomery Academy, in All Hallows Road, in a follow-up to last year’s Big Education Conversation at Blackpool Tower.

Dean Logan, chief executive of the Fylde Coast Academy Trust, said: “We know the current one-size-fits-all approach to education is not fit for purpose and we welcome further debate and engagement in changing the current system.”

The Big Education Conversation supports communities to get together to talk about what education means, what it is really for, and how changes to education systems can be made.

Ideas include adding practical skills such as budgeting to the curriculum and enabling young people to more easily follow their interests by applying a wider set of goals.

In Blackpool organisations including Big Change, IPPR, Blackpool Youth Council, URPotential, Right to Succeed, YouthLeads UK and Blackpool Council have been working together on the issue.

Andrew Speight, youth advisor at Blackpool Council, said: “This isn’t just a talking shop – Blackpool is making things happen – and we’re bringing everyone along with us on the journey.”

Paul O’Neill, deputy chief executive at Right to Succeed, which supports communities in areas of high deprivation to give children the best start in life, added: “It’s vitally important we continue to have big conversations about education and work collectively to move from dialogue to action that makes a real difference in communities.”

Early signs of success include the establishment of the Employment and Skills Board, ongoing work on literacy, post-16 opportunities and a fledgling mental health counsellors project.

After visiting the Bispham secondary school, Labour’s Bridget Phillipson said: “It was a real pleasure hearing from children from around Blackpool about their ambitions and what they want from education.

“Too often the voices of our young people aren’t heard, despite being the most important voices of all.

“We know that young people are facing huge challenges at school and in their own lives, such as mental ill health, and that’s something I’m determined to get to grips with if I’m lucky enough to become Education Secretary.

“So we can ensure we have high and rising standards in our schools and we can break down barriers to opportunity right across our country.”