LABOUR’S Dudley North candidate Ian Austin and shadow education secretary Tristram Hunt went back to school recently to outline the party’s education plans.

The pair met with teachers and students at Priory Primary School, Limes Road, on Wednesday (April 29), which has made rapid improvements under new headteacher Jill Bennett.

The Dudley school was previously in special measures but was rated ‘good’ by Ofsted following a recent inspection, making it one of a handful of schools to improve in such a short time.

Mr Hunt said the party will support schools by protecting the education budget, capping class sizes for five, six and seven year-olds at 30 pupils or fewer and introduce new Directors of School Standards in every area to get improvements in place.

Mr Austin has also been campaigning to make education the number one priority in Dudley to attract new businesses and new jobs to the town and has called for local schools to commit to making the sharpest improvements in the country.

He said: “Priory Primary School is a brilliant example of how well local schools can perform if governors, parents and the whole community get behind heads and teachers working hard to make improvements.

“Education and skills has to be our number one priority in Dudley to attract new businesses and new jobs to protect the ones we’ve lost.

“I think young people in Dudley and do just as well as anyone else, so we should all make a commitment to having the sharpest improvement in school results in the country.”