I SPEND quite a lot of time visiting schools in the constituency including in recent months QE in Crediton and last week it was a real pleasure to visit Ashburton Primary School and to meet the children, hardworking staff and even Father Christmas who made a very popular appearance during my time there.

I was also pleased to be joined on the visit by local councillor Stuart Hughes, who knows the town and its school community well.

The school had a warm festive feel and it was clear how much effort had gone into making the end of term special for the pupils.

I also enjoyed dropping into a busy craft session where children were making decorations and happily chatting about their Christmas plans.

One of the highlights of the visit was spending time with the School Council. This is a group of articulate and thoughtful pupils who put some very good questions to me about how Parliament works, how laws are made and what a typical week looks like when travelling between Westminster and Devon.

Their confidence and curiosity really stood out. Helping young people to understand how decisions are made and how they can have a say is important if we want them to feel that politics is something they can be part of.

I also had some very constructive conversations with teachers and staff about the day to day realities of running a busy school and the steps they are taking to keep improving teaching and learning.

Across England there are now just under 470,000 full time equivalent teachers in state funded schools and around 289,000 full time equivalent teaching assistants supporting pupils in the classroom.

Behind those national figures are real pressures around recruitment, retention and workload that are felt in schools like Ashburton Primary as well as across the country.

What impressed me was the sense of a team that is determined to keep improving and doing the very best for their pupils.

That commitment was evident in every classroom I visited. From the teachers through to the support staff there was a clear focus on building on what is going well and on making sure that every child is supported to make progress.

I was particularly struck by the emphasis on kindness, inclusion and confidence alongside the core subjects. Those values matter enormously.

They help shape not just exam results but the kind of adults our young people grow up to be.

Schools like Ashburton Primary are right at the heart of community life. They bring families together, support local events and help to nurture the next generation of volunteers and workers (including business owners) who will keep towns like Ashburton thriving.

We are fortunate to have so many dedicated professionals working with our children across Central Devon and I am grateful to everyone at Ashburton Primary for the warm welcome and for the honest and positive conversations during my visit.

As we head into Christmas I want to thank teachers, heads, governors and support staff across our local schools for everything they do, often going well beyond the school day to support pupils and families. I wish everyone in our school communities a happy and restful festive break.

Sir Mel Stride

MP for Central Devon