Brave Leeds Schools Should be Rewarded, not Punished - Mulholland

6.10.00pm GMT Fri 15th Jan 2010

Brave Leeds Schools Should be Rewarded, not Punished - Mulholland

Speaking during yesterday's Business Questions Greg Mulholland, MP for Leeds North West demanded the Deputy Prime Minister Harriet Harman recognised the extraordinary efforts of Leeds Schools in staying open during the cold snap.

Greg, whose own daughter Isabel's school, St Joseph's, managed to stay open throughout the freezing weather voiced his concerns that despite managing to stay open against the odds, Leeds schools might be punished for comparatively poor attendance records during this period.

Commenting Greg said:

"Staff at schools up and down Leeds have performed heroically in ensuring that schools remain open and that pupils like Isabel have a safe place to go during the cold snap.

"However many pupils have struggled to get in despite the best efforts of teachers and staff it is absurd that these schools and pupils could be punished for managing to keep the schools open.

"It is important that this target obsessed Government takes this into account and doesn't punish Leeds schools for below average attendance during this period, especially when so many other schools elsewhere have shut down and therefore will not have their attendance record taken into consideration,"