After a couple of weeks away I've been back on duty for a couple of weeks, mostly doing an endless round of media interviews on exam results but also popping over ot see constituents on Brownsea Island.

This is a frustrating time when there is little news and so the media will always give a high profile to reporting the achievements of young people in A Levels and GCSEs.  Unfortunately few seem satisfied with sotires of individual success and want to run inevitable sotires of dumbing down.  I released an article this week setting out my frustrations (click on icon to download) and there was an excellent discussion of the issue by Mike Baker on the BBC website.

But beneath the cynicism and reporting results were generally good.  We would always like the improvement to be faster, we need it to be faster for some, but at least the improvement continues.

I also visited Brownsea Island to see constituents.

I am trying to help them with problems getting their children into the nearest school.  This is a decision for the local councils that is complicated by the island being in Dorset, the local school being in Poole and the children having to go to school by boat.  Nevertheless I am hopeful common sense will prevail.

Speaking of common sense I was pleased that the legal challenge to the relief road getting planning permission has failed.  This leaves us with the Comulsory Purchase Order process to go through, which thankfully can not argue the principle of the road - that argument has now been won.