“I was a pupil at King’s Ely from the age of 4 right the way through to completing my GCSEs.
“I was diagnosed with both dyslexia and dyspraxia at quite an early age. It was the amazing support I received from the team at King’s Ely Acremont that provided me with the foundations that eventually enabled me to overcome these difficulties and achieve success academically. I genuinely believe that if I hadn’t been lucky enough to go to King’s Ely and get the support I received, there is no way I would be where I am today.
“My favourite subject at school was History. Mr Lowery, who was my History Teacher at King’s Ely Junior, really brought the Battle of 1066 alive and it was then my favourite subject going forward throughout school. I also liked football and cross country!
“To this day I continue to enjoy close friendships with many of the people I met at King’s Ely. I remember my time at school with great fondness.”
Tom went on to study Politics and Modern History at the University of Manchester and then completed a Master of Science at Pembroke College, University of Oxford. Since completing his Masters, Tom’s career has been in Politics and Public Relations.
In 2011, at the age of 22, he was elected as a District Councillor for the Ely South ward. He served on East Cambridgeshire District Council until 2017. Tom has been Head of Media for the Countryside Alliance and Senior Parliamentary Assistant for Oliver Dowden CBE MP, as well as, more recently, the Chief of Staff to the elected Mayor of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority, James Palmer.
In December 2019, Tom was elected as the Conservative Member of Parliament for Ipswich in Suffolk, which is where he now lives. Since then, he has been elected to serve on the Education Select Committee and the Petitions Committee.
In his maiden speech, Tom stated that he had been diagnosed with both dyslexia and dyspraxia during his schooling. Regarding children with special educational needs, he said that as an MP he would dedicate himself “to helping these children to ensure that they have every opportunity to achieve their full potential and that that their talents are not lost to society”.