Jo Gideon MP has spoken in support of the Rt Hon Dr Liam Fox’s landmark Down Syndrome Bill in parliament last week. The Bill aims to improve the lives of people living with Down Syndrome, including through better access to social care and tailored education.
Speaking in a debate on the Bill, Jo raised the need to improve support for those with Down syndrome and their families, particularly within the education system:
“Sadly, only one in four young people with Down syndrome finds themselves in mainstream education. It is a fact that Down syndrome pupils in mainstream schools achieve on average two years above the academic level of those in special schools.
The Bill asks for a curriculum tailored more towards children with Down syndrome and for more teachers to be trained to understand how to teach children with the condition and the specific learning profiles of that condition.”
Jo also spoke in support of local groups and the important contribution they make in Stoke-on-Trent:
“Stoke and Staffordshire Down syndrome social group have posted a lot about this issue. They meet regularly at the Bridge Centre in Birches Head, and they make a difference to about 50 families. It is a massively important contribution that everybody can make.”
Concluding the debate, the Rt Hon Dr Liam Fox said:
“I thank all colleagues for their support… It has been a real example of what we can achieve together. The real heroes of this debate, however, are not those in the Chamber or those who make the laws pertaining to Down syndrome, but all those who have fought, struggled, and overcome the challenges that they have faced without our help for far too long.”
