IT has been a busy start to the new year, with Brexit continuing to dominate Parliament and the news.

I have consistently voted with the Prime Minister, and will continue to back the government, because I believe that this is the best way forward to ensure we leave in an orderly way with a good deal, and ensure that the UK has the decent, moderate government it needs to build a country that works for everyone. We now have a responsibility to work together to identify a way forward that can secure the backing of MPs across the House of Commons.

Beyond Brexit, the government has launched a new integrated recruitment and retention strategy to boost teacher numbers and make sure that teaching remains an attractive and rewarding profession. Locally, I am continuing to work closely with head teachers at schools across the Salisbury Plain Area and Wiltshire Council to ensure everything is in place to welcome the military children who will relocate under the Army Rebasing programme. Over £1bn of investment is being made across the local area, and new schools and extensions are being built. However, head teachers, including Susan Raeburn at Bulford Kiwi, have made me aware that the existing pupil funding arrangements created difficulties for local schools with large increases in pupils due to rebasing moves, as the money required to plan and recruit teachers was coming too late.

Baroness Scott and I raised this issue with the Department for Education, and last year we received good news that schools would receive funding of £2.8 million to deal with this specific local challenge. Since then, I’m pleased that Wiltshire Council has secured an additional £750,000 from the MOD’s Education Support Fund which will enable each school that’s expected to welcome new pupils to recruit an extra teacher to lead on preparations during this academic year, ahead of the largest group of children joining local schools in September.