Objectives
Our policies at a glance;
Empowering teachers to be more effective:
- Reduction in administrative tasks to increase lesson planning time
- More planning time to deliver better lessons that motivate and engage students improving their learning
- Supportive management to deal with problematic students effectively
- Streamlined management with fewer senior posts freeing up valuable resources to spend on increasing numbers of teachers and reducing class sizes
- Improving job satisfaction so there is less staff turnover and students experience continuity in their learning and establish effective relationships with their teachers
- Access to good local housing for teachers enabling them to commit to a long term service in our schools
Increasing impact of Parent Governors:
- Developing policies that promote family values and ensure that schools serve the needs of the community it serves
- Establishing better communication and relationships with classroom teachers so governors can see the impact of their school policies and how they should be adapted to ensure maximum impact
- Holding school leadership to account for their performance
- Ensuring that staffing costs are minimized while effectiveness is maximised. In particular looking at the roles of Assistant Head teachers and other senior positions.
Single sex teaching:
- Increasing student performance through single sex teaching. Single sex teaching is the most preferred format for parents in Tower Hamlets, seen through waiting lists at all the single sex schools. Offering single sex teaching in mixed schools will allow all schools to balance their intakes and improve community ties.
Teaching family and moral values to prevent crime:
- Making Citizenship lessons more relevant to the needs of the community and including more discussion on the merits of family structures. Increasing amount and level of discussion about morality, linking to sexual exploitation, violence, drugs and other criminal activities to show students the hard realities of these behaviours and their consequences
- Making school assemblies more spiritual and with greater emphasis on rights and responsibilities. To ensure that the message being delivered is consistent with the expectations of parents, preventing an identity crisis amongst the young.
Teaching parenting to the next generation:
- Curriculum to include guidance on types of relationships, discussing how and why marriage is considered to be so important in many societies
- Raising children within a safe and supportive environment
- Importance of positive role models
- Inspiring children to be successful
- Financial responsibilites
Sex education promoting responsibility and marriage:
- Sex education should not be part of the primary school curriculum
- Not promoting sexual promiscuity. The message being delivered to children should not see contraception as the primary method to avoid pregnancy and STI’s, rather abstinence.
- Promoting the institution of marriage between men and women as the preferred type of relationship in which to have sexual relationships. Again consistent with the views of the majority of parents
Abortion:
- Developing a responsible attitude towards sexual behaviour
- Reducing the number of unwanted pregnancies
- Sex education that presents both sides of the argument
Teaching all ideas about the origins of life:
- A curriculum that provides an opportunity to discuss all ideas about the origins of life
- Provide students with a balanced view about creation and evolution
- Allow students to make their own conclusions
Divert money from wars and bankers to housing:
- Providing billions more to invest in the construction of council housing
- Provide more effective support to help people on low incomes to buy their own homes
Use empty and derelict buildings for homes:
- Hundreds of properties are sitting empty in Tower Hamlets. Use existing council powers to bring these properties into use
- Fastest way to increase housing stock
Build more council homes:
- Council investment in house building should be increased
Restrict private developments:
- Precious land should not be used for private developments that now litter Tower Hamlets. Priority should be given to the thousands of local people who are waiting to be housed
Skilled local people for local jobs:
- Companies should be encouraged to recruit local people for work and avoid bringing migrant workers in to do jobs that can be competently done by local people
Simplified benefit system to help people into work
- There needs to be clear information about all benefits and how they are affected when your circumstances change
- A benefit system that encourages those who can work to seek work
- Training courses and work experience to help long term unemployed back into work
Interest-free loans to students from state banks
- All students who take out loans to cover the cost of University should have a period of at least three years after they graduate to pay back their loans interest free. This reduces the overall financial burden and also assists those who believe that dealing with interest is incompatible with their beliefs
Equity loans for those wanting to buy homes
- Families on low incomes should have access to equity loans from the state controlled banks to enable them to purchase homes. These loans can then be re-paid when the property is sold on a profit-share basis.
Promotion of Tower Hamlets for investment
- There needs to be concerted effort to promote Tower Hamlets and its heritage to encourage investment and provide more jobs for local people
A debate on the re-introduction of capital punishment:
- To provide a deterrent to those who believe that taking away the rights of others is acceptable
More Social workers to support families in need
- Many families need help to ensure children receive the care and love they deserve
- Provide early intervention to prevent broken families and reduce risks of criminal behaviour
Protecting children from violent / explicit media / pornography
- Providing parents with more guidance about ratings of films and games so they are very clear about the nature of the content
- Computers should have default settings that block inappropriate content
- Pornographic and extreme material should only be accessible with credit card details
- There should be no bars and clubs with erotic/nude entertainment. These venues undermine the rights of women and bring an area into disrepute
Zero tolerance policing
- Policing should only be done by the police. PSCO’s and THEO’s should be phased out in favour of more police officers
- Police should deal with minor offences and first time offenders robustly to ensure further criminal intentions are reduced
- Police officers need to spend more of their time on patrol and need support and new procedures to reduce paper work
Fair prices for food, fuel, electricity and gas:
- The wholesale prices of oil and gas are now much lower than the peaks of summer 2008, however the retail prices remain very high
Fair pricing of parking permits/abolition of CO2 penalty in pricing of permits:
- Drivers pay for CO2 pollution in road tax, so why are we being charged again for it in our parking permits. Cars do not pollute when they are parked.
Access to parking permits for all residents:
- All residents especially those who have mobility difficulties and children have the right to own a car and therefore have the right to park their cars outside their homes
Belief in traditional family values:
- Building strong families where children are given the best support to develop emotionally, mentally and physically with a clear identity and the ability to make sensible choices
Freedom of worship:
- Allowing all people to practice their faith without fear of criticism or redicule
Upholding values common to all major religions:
- Building strong communities based on common values
Respect between all people: