Mary Reid

As I wrote on Thursday, I'm very unhappy about the market model being applied to health care, and particularly disappointed that Blair perpetuated Thatcher's misguided approach to the provision of public services.

Schools have been through a similar process, but have now emerged from the dark days and they are now re-creating, and greatly extending, the mutually supportive approach that they used to have.

When I started teaching, schools saw themselves as part of a network, and teachers freely exchanged ideas and shared materials. Local teachers' centres encouraged co-operation and professionalism. On the downside, teachers weren't too keen to work with other non-educational professionals, and it was not uncommon to hear them say "we are there to teach and are not social workers".

Then Thatcher told schools that they were to consider themselves as separate businesses in a competitive market. Teachers started being protective about their resources, and schools openly competed for pupils.

But in the last few years there have been massive changes in attitude. Much of this is due to the Brown inspired 'Every Child Matters' - which I have been only too happy to praise. That document, and the legislation that followed, envisioned a country in which each child, with their parents, could access all the services they needed, in a way that was simple and non-bureaucratic. At the same time all professionals who deal with children would be able to share information, especially about vulnerable youngsters, so that no child at risk would slip through the net.

The impact of 'Every Child Matters' has been far reaching. Teachers now understand how other aspects of a child's life affect their achievement and support a holistic view of the child. Health professionals work with schools, police and social workers to provide an integrated service to families.

The initial focus in Kingston has been on children with disabilities, and plans are developing well to provide a single service to children. Indeed, we hope that the Moor Lane School site wil play a significant role in this. 

And as I saw yesterday, schools are eager not only to work with each other but also to work with other professionals to support all families, especially those that are facing difficulties. I was invited to the cluster meeting for the South of the Borough; this brings together representatives of all the schools, the children's centre, police, health professionals, family workers and others to plan how they will together identify and support vulnerable children.

The session was highly productive resulting in the outline of a clear plan of action. I'm just so delighted to see the emergence of such positive co-operative proposals.