Witham MP Priti Patel was delighted to meet with the newly appointed Chief Inspector of Ofsted, Sir Martyn Oliver, and Mr Mike Sheridan, the Regional Director for the East of England, to discuss educational outcomes for children in Witham.
Priti welcomed Sir Martyn to his new role, and discussed with him and Mr Sheridan school standards locally and the future of Ofsted under the new leadership team. During their meeting, they also talked about the ‘Big Listen’, which was launched on 8th March. The Ofsted Big Listen is seeking views on Ofsted’s work from parents and children, schools and children’s social care staff, alongside teacher and early years providers.
Priti said: “It was wonderful to meet Sir Martyn and Mr Sheridan to discuss a range of educational issues. It was great to tell them more about my longstanding initiative ‘Get Witham Reading’ which helps to improve literacy and a love of reading. I was also pleased to hear more about the ‘Big Listen’ which seeks to listen and learn from parents and professionals in the sector. I look forward to continuing to work on improving school standards across Witham with Sir Martyn and Mr Sheridan.”
Sir Martyn Oliver said: “It was a pleasure to meet Priti and talk about our Big Listen and education and care locally. I want Ofsted to work together with parents, education and social care professionals, and indeed with MPs, to raise standards and improve outcomes for all children, wherever they live and whatever their start in life. I hope local people will get involved in the Big Listen.”
