The letters have been sent ahead of mayoral elections on 2^nd May to call on all candidates across the UK to support nationwide action to extend free school meals. The 87 signatories include celebrity chefs Tom Kerridge and Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall, as well as NGOs, academics, councillors, doctors and health organisations including the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, the Royal Society of Public Health, the Association of Directors of Public Health and the National Education Union. 

There are 900,000 children living in poverty in England who are missing out on national eligibility for Free School Meals. It is unfair that all primary school children in London receive a free hot meal at lunchtime, with the same being rolled out in Scotland and Wales, while there are so many children across the rest of England who are living in poverty without getting the same level of essential support. Outside of London, only children from households with an income below £7,400 a year (after tax, before benefits) are eligible; a threshold that has not increased since 2018. 

New polling commissioned by The Food Foundation and published today has found that support for FSM is high across areas that will be voting for metro mayors next week:

• In the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) 79% of people support expanding Free School Meals to more children, while 73% support expanding the current scheme to all children
• In Yorkshire 73% of people support expanding Free School Meals to more children, while 67% support expanding the current scheme to all children.
• In Liverpool City Region Combined Authority 80% of people support expanding Free School Meals to more children, while 75% support expanding the current scheme to all children.

Good nutrition in childhood should be non-negotiable; without it, not only do health outcomes worsen, placing extra pressure on the NHS but so do children’s life chances.  1 in 3 children are leaving primary school with an unhealthy weight and 1 in 5 households with children are currently experiencing food insecurity in the UK. FSM can ensure that all school children can benefit from a hot nutritious meal at lunchtime, helping to protect them from food insecurity, to be healthier and happier, able to do better in school and in the long-term, earn more over their lifetime. 

If Free School Meals were extended to all children, for every £1 invested, £1.71 would be generated in core benefits driven by improved health, education and employment outcomes.  

Anna Taylor, Executive Director of The Food Foundation, said, “As the transformative potential of free school meals is being increasingly recognised in London, we are calling for the scheme to be expanded nationwide to bring an end to the postcode lottery. Every child deserves access to healthy, nutritious food regardless of where they live. As we approach the 2024 general election, we urge all national political parties and metro mayors to pledge to do what’s right and ensure that no child in England is left to go hungry at school.” 

Celebrity Chef and Campaigner Tom Kerridge, said, “We need to end the postcode lottery in Free School Meals now. Every child should have a hot meal at lunchtime. Free School Meals provide a vital safety net for families struggling in the current cost of living crisis and policy makers need to commit to making sure every child in the UK can benefit, learn and go on to reach their potential’ 

Celebrity Chef and Campaigner Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall, said, “Introducing free school meals for every primary school child in London has been an amazing policy initiative from Sadiq Kahn, making a real difference to children’s health and learning in the capital. It’s brilliant that he’s committed to making that a permanent policy in his manifesto. And it would be even more brilliant if it was expanded across England, so that all children can receive a nutritious meal at school to help them concentrate, thrive at school, and reach their potential.” 

Paul McDonald, Chief Campaigns Officer at Health Equals: “Our childhood shapes our future health, and poverty is one of the biggest risks to children’s health. Free school meals will help protect children from poverty and provide them with a nutritious meal which will help them grow, learn better at school and have more opportunity to thrive. Providing free school meals is investing in our children’s future to give them every opportunity for a healthy and prosperous life.”

The International Women’s Day visit saw a group of 30 pupils from Parrs Wood High School meet airport staff in the AeroZone educational facility before taking a tour of the new-look Terminal 2.

More than a dozen colleagues from a wide variety of roles took part in Q&As with the pupils, including women working in airport security, airfield operations, procurement, hospitality and community engagement, in addition to colleagues from partners DHL and Greater Manchester Police.

The pupils also had the chance to explore AeroZone’s interactive education zones and try their hand at some of the jobs they heard about.

In the afternoon, a Terminal 2 tour was led by Jane Daintith, the Head of Terminal Operations, who explained what goes into keeping a busy airport terminal running smoothly and outlined the improvement work taking place as part of the airport’s £1.3bn transformation programme.

Marcella M’Rabety, Head of Education, Skills and Employment, Manchester Airports Group, said: “It was a privilege to welcome Parrs Wood High School pupils to the airport for the day and offer some insight into the wide variety of career opportunities available at a major travel hub such as this one. This is all part of our vision to empower women to seek out the roles and careers that they want to go for, while ensuring that those careers are accessible for all and that we provide a welcoming and inclusive environment.”

In2science was established in 2010 to unlock the potential of young people from disadvantaged backgrounds and boost diversity and inclusion in the sector to ensure the UK remains at the forefront of science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) based industries.

The In2STEM programme provides a once in a lifetime opportunity for young people to collaborate with dedicated volunteer STEM professionals, undertaking cutting-edge research and learning STEM skills in some of Britain’s pioneering centres of STEM education, research and industry.

The programme is for 17-year-olds passionate about STEM and runs from 22 July to 23 August 2024. It offers a blend of online and in-person activities and equips students the skills, knowledge and confidence needed to excel in STEM. The programme is free to join, and the charity provides a bursary, to cover travel and lunch expenses during placements.

The OR Society is partnering with In2scienceUK to sponsor two young people who will have work placements and mentors within operational research at universities. They will also be delivering virtual workshops on operational research for the entire cohort of students participating in the programme at the end of the summer.

Operational research (OR) involves the application of advanced mathematical techniques such as modelling, optimisation, and simulation, with innovative problem-solving approaches, to address complex real-world challenges, and OR professionals are in high demand across many sectors.

However, a recent YouGov survey on behalf of education charity, Teach First highlighted the UK’s STEM skills shortage is at risk of growing, as more than half of parents (51%) from a lower socio-economic background believe their children are “unlikely” to have a career in science, technology, engineering and maths.

According to In2scienceUK there is an annual shortfall of 40,000 STEM skilled workers with the number of future technical jobs forecast to increase. With salaries in STEM being 20% higher than other sectors, In2scienceUK say getting more young people from low-income backgrounds into these professions promotes social mobility and fights economic inequality.

Chiara Carparelli, Education Manager at The OR Society said: “We are excited to help inspire the next generation of young STEM professionals. The In2STEM programme is helping to address the skills shortage and encourage young people to consider a STEM based career such as OR.

“It’s a fantastic opportunity for young people to make informed choices, boost their academic profile and prepare for a successful future in the world of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

“Proficiency in STEM subjects is vital for those aspiring for a career in OR. With technologies like AI and data analytics advancing, job opportunities for OR specialists are expected to surge in the coming years and encouraging young people from all backgrounds into these careers is vital.”

To find out more about In2STEM, including how young people can apply visit: https://in2scienceuk.org/our-programmes/in2stem
To explore the career possibilities within OR visit: www.theorsociety.com/get-involved/or-in-education/careers.

The difference in education outcomes between low-income students and their better-off peers – known as the attainment gap – has widened considerably since the pandemic, wiping out a decade of progress.

The gap decreased slightly during the early 2010s, before progress stalled prior to the pandemic. However, the disruption to learning caused by COVID-19 saw the gap widen drastically again to levels not seen since 2011.

The Trust warns these inequalities will worsen without decisive action to navigate the perfect storm of the ongoing cost of living crisis, high rates of persistent absence and the related surge in mental health issues among pupils.

The attainment gap is caused by a wide variety of factors in the home and in schools. One important factor is the greater access to private tutoring enjoyed by middle-class pupils. New Sutton Trust polling has found that 39% of secondary pupils from better-off homes had received private tuition at some point in their schooling, compared to 22% of pupils from worse off homes.

A major concern is that the National Tutoring Programme – a key government initiative to help pupils catch up on the lost learning of the pandemic and its aftermath – is due to come to an end this summer. This scheme has expanded access to tutoring for low-income pupils, with the polling showing that more than a quarter (27%) of free school meal students received tutoring from their school last year.

One-to-one and small group tuition are proven and highly cost-effective strategies for raising attainment. Research by the EEF has found access to one-to-one tuition enables students to make up to 5 months of additional progress, and group tuition enables them to make up to 4 months’ progress. Cutting funding for tutoring will set back efforts to reverse the attainment gap.

At its heart, the attainment gap is caused by underlying poverty and exacerbated by regressive changes to school funding, socially exclusive admissions to top schools, and unequal access to high quality teachers. In 2013 spending per pupil in both state primary and secondary schools in the most deprived areas was more than 30% greater than in the least deprived areas, reflecting the greater challenges faced by those schools. By 2021 this had dropped to around 20%, due largely to reforms to the National Funding Formula in 2018, which disproportionately reduced funding for schools in deprived areas – taking away support from where it is needed the most.

Schools on their own can’t fix all of these issues, but are increasingly expected to fill in gaps in the wider social safety net. In autumn 2022, 56% of head teachers reported an increase in children coming to school hungry, with greater increases in more deprived areas. This coincided with 74% of teachers reporting increases in the number of children being tired or unable to concentrate in lessons.

The Sutton Trust is calling for the next government to set out a long-term national strategy to close the attainment gap. This should include measures such as re-balancing funding back towards schools serving the most disadvantaged communities. Pupil Premium funding targeted at disadvantaged pupils should also be restored to at least 2014/15 levels, reversing the erosion caused by inflation.

The Trust is also calling for a renewed focus on tutoring by the next government. If secured over the long-term and refocused on supporting disadvantaged pupils, the National Tutoring Programme can play a significant role in closing the attainment gap.

Furthermore, free school meals should be extended to the children of all families in receipt of Universal Credit, to take hunger out of the classroom.

Sir Peter Lampl, Founder of the Sutton Trust and Founder of the Education Endowment Foundation, said: “The difference in education outcomes between low-income students and their better-off peers – known as the attainment gap – has widened considerably since the pandemic. There needs to be renewed focus on tackling it. The next government needs to do much more for the most disadvantaged youngsters. This means increasing funding for low-income pupils, access to tutoring for the long-term, and to do more to take hunger out of the classroom.

“Coming from a low-income background shouldn’t be a barrier for children to succeed in education and in life.”

Commenting on the launch, Bob Usher, Content Manager at LGfL, said, ‘We have been conscious of the unique challenges in supporting SEND pupils and helping young people understand and manage their responses to death and grief. This resource aims to support all school community members, especially those who work closely with pupils with additional needs.’

The new resource – a blend of video and text-based support, with additional useful links provided in context throughout the structured portal – provides teachers and other professionals with advice and approaches. These include:

• Understanding death and grief
• Communication, including non-verbal and pre-verbal pupils
• Emotions and behaviour – ways grief may be expressed
• Beliefs, rituals and new experiences
• Life-limiting conditions – awareness of the mortality of the self
• Vulnerability and the importance of routine
• Working with families and care-givers

Rebecca Haycock, Education Development Co-ordinator, Child Bereavement UK, explained, ‘Children’s ideas about the concept of death, develop over time. With pupils with special educational needs, it’s really important to establish their understanding. Their cognitive ability may not match their biological age, nor their ability to communicate what they understand. So we must endeavour to meet each child’s individual needs.’

The resource also features contributions from highly experienced headteachers and support staff from Highfurlong School, Blackpool and Oak View School, Epping Forest. They share their experiences and offer some remarkable examples of ways they successfully supported SEND pupils and their families when facing both unexpected and anticipated deaths within their school communities.

These extraordinary case studies, highlight the complexity and depth of sadness families endure. By providing help for families, friends, and peers, pupils are supported to move on and resume their lives positively with joy and happiness even within difficult contexts.

Since partnering in 2018, the two charities have co-created several successful teacher support resources surrounding bereavement: Supporting a Bereaved Pupil, Managing a Sudden Death in a School Community and Having Honest Conversations about Death and Grief.

The new resource for supporting SEND pupils facing bereavement is open to view, to help school communities in both specialist SEND provision and mainstream settings. Please visit https://sendbereavement.lgfl.org.uk

Focus-Trust’s Pupil Parliament consists of pupils who have been elected by their peers to represent their school at the trust level. The ‘7 Musts of Focus-Trust’ began as a recent Pupil Parliament project, inspired by books such as ‘100 things to do before you grow up’.

Surveys were sent out across the schools for both children and staff, all voting for their top ten out of a long list of ideas. Further discussions were held in the following meetings, and the Pupil Parliamentarians voted for their top seven ‘musts’.

The pupil-led project resulted in seven essential experiences which will become available to all children at Focus-Trust schools. A pupil representative presented the ‘7 Musts’ to all of the Focus-Trust headteachers, and the Pupil Parliament designed their very own logo.

The 7 Musts of Focus-Trust means every child in a Focus-Trust school will have the opportunity to:

1. Complete a first aid course
2. Attend Young Voices
3. Visit London
4. Undertake an environmental project
5. Visit the theatre
6. Plan a charity event
7. Complete Bike-ability

The aim of the project is to give pupils an even wider set of standard experiences to develop their social and cultural knowledge and experiences. By making these activities a ‘must’, they become a core entitlement for all, rather than an additional extra.

Each school is now planning how they will organise each of these activities from September 2023, with some having already undertaken their residential visit to London.

Andrew Marlow, Curriculum and Pedagogy Director at Focus-Trust, said: “At Focus-Trust, pupil voice is a crucial element of our work and supports our continual improvement.

“Across all our schools we actively seek out opportunities for children to share their thoughts, opinions, and ideas about their learning and experiences.

“It is important to us because it empowers our children, improves learning, fosters a culture of community, and develops important life skills”.

Focus-Trust is a charitable primary schools trust which is based in the North West of England and West Yorkshire with a vision of providing ‘great schools at the heart of our communities’ where children thrive, achieve and succeed.

NFER has published a report, Tutoring sustainability: Understanding the views of school leaders, after gathering the views of a nationally representative sample of senior leaders from primary and secondary schools in England. This included those who are currently participating in the NTP, have previously participated in the NTP, and have never participated in the NTP. The survey took place between 10 and 15 March 2023.

The results found nearly two thirds (65 per cent) of the 52 per cent of senior leaders currently using the programme are planning to continue using it in the 2023/24 academic year. Three quarters (76 per cent) currently using the NTP believe it is improving the attainment of their disadvantaged pupils, while 73 per cent believe the programme selection guidance allows them to prioritise pupils most in need of academic support.

However, views on the cost-effectiveness of the programme are split (42 per cent believe it is cost-effective and 45 per cent do not) while 58 per cent of surveyed leaders do not think tutoring is a long-term solution to closing the attainment gap for disadvantaged pupils.

The top five reasons given by senior leaders for dropping out of the NTP were:

1. Reduced subsidy (55 per cent)
2. Annual funding arrangements for the NTP made it difficult to forward plan (35 per cent)
3. Difficulties sourcing suitable tutors (28 per cent)
4. Administrative burden required to access the funding was too high (27 per cent)
5. Reporting requirements for the funding were too burdensome (23 per cent)

Dr Ben Styles, NFER’s Head of Classroom Practice and Workforce, said: “School leaders mostly believe the NTP is helping disadvantaged pupils, but many feel this support comes at too high a cost in terms of finances and administration.

“Tutoring is not yet embedded in schools. Long-term financial support is needed alongside reductions to the administrative burden on staff.

“Leaders would also benefit from much more notice on changes to funding arrangements, so they can forward plan and budget properly.

“Overcoming these barriers is vital if tutoring is to win the hearts and minds of schools and be seen as a sustainable way of helping to close the attainment disadvantage gap.”

The study also found:

• Almost all (91 per cent) senior leaders currently using the NTP feel it has allowed them to offer support to more disadvantaged pupils and more than two thirds (68 per cent) have been able to hire or use additional staff. But nearly half (47 per cent) reported that their school only offers tutoring during normal lesson times.
• Issues with NTP funding arrangements are the main reason schools are stopping delivery of the programme, but only 46 per cent of senior leaders agree that providing tutoring would be their top priority if more funding was available for supporting disadvantaged pupils.
• The ability to source suitable tutors, administrative burden and time required to implement the NTP are barriers to sustainability as they are reducing take-up and/or causing drop-out from the programme.
• More than half of all senior leaders surveyed (61 per cent) believe that other types of support are more effective than tutoring for improving attainment amongst disadvantaged pupils, including 42 per cent of senior leaders planning to continue using the NTP next year.
Among numerous recommendations, the report calls on the Government to:
• Explore how additional financial support can be made available to schools over a longer period, to allow tutoring to become embedded in schools.
• Provide schools with more notice about funding arrangements for new programmes to allow them to forward plan.
• Review and reduce the administrative requirements to access, implement and report upon NTP funding and that of other future programmes.
• Work with schools and tutoring organisations to understand their requirements for tutors and consider how best to recruit and retain tutors as part of a wider school workforce strategy.
• Undertake further research to investigate which aspects of tutoring and its implementation can be optimised to improve attainment outcomes for disadvantaged pupils, so that best practice can be shared among schools.

The research, which aims to examine the lack of female representation and voice in English Literature, found that An Inspector Calls and A Christmas Carol were the two most taught texts, which were studied at 80% and 72% respectively at GCSE level (Year 10 & 11). Both of which are in the top texts taught at KS3 meaning that many pupils are taught the same texts twice between Years 7 and 11. Data was collected from three out of four awarding bodies; Pearson Edexcel, the second largest awarding body, who stated they could not provide us with an analysis of their statistics by the gender of the author.

Within these texts the female characters are either victims or servants, which leaves little to offer in terms of representation of women. While these can lead to important discussions it would be more valuable to students to also have discussions around positive representations of women. Only ever having the opportunity to discuss women as victims of misogyny perpetuates a narrative of women as victims of a patriarchal society, reinforcing the notion of sexual inequality as an expected norm.

Of the female authored books on the approved text list, Jane Eyre and Pride and Prejudice were the most common inclusions, however both are the longest novels on the lists, 624 and 448 pages respectively. This makes it harder for teachers to justify their selection over the shorter male authored texts. The result is that female authored texts are not equally matched in terms of teachability and accessibility to the male authored choices, immediately putting them at a disadvantage.

While authorship is of importance there is also a large discrepancy between the number of female protagonists compared to that of male, and after all, it is the characters and not the authors that pupils will spend most time discussing in lessons. On the set lists 7 in 10 texts for both 19th Century novel and for Modern Prose and Drama have a male protagonist, showing a bias towards the teaching of texts with a male protagonist.

By only providing the option for pupils to engage with male perspectives on the world in the literature they read, not only do boys never learn to empathise with and appreciate the viewpoints and experiences of women, but they also get the clear message that women’s voices and perspectives are less important and less valid.

While work in recent years has been done to increase diversity, often this is implemented with a two birds one stone approach with new additions added to the approved text list by female authors of colour. While this is a great first step, it often involves swapping out less studied texts for new novels meaning few schools will be inclined to change the status quo. The message is clear; the supremacy of white male writing cannot be challenged. The core canon of white male authors is not being changed, and by combining gender and race, it disproportionately affects the representation of white female authors and male authors of colour, who have been all but erased from the modern prose and drama paper.

Rachel Fenn, Founding Member of ESIS & English teacher comments: “While these stats are shocking, they are hardly surprising. The traditional canon of English Literature has always valued the white male voice over others since its creation in the early twentieth century. However, for the next generation to grow up challenging a patriarchal view of the world, both boys and girls need to be exposed to strong and empowering representations of women, not the voiceless victims and servants we see repeatedly in the perennially popular texts taught in English lessons. We are what we read – is it any wonder how Andrew Tate has managed to infiltrate the schooling system and violence against women remains such an endemic problem in our society when our academic curriculum spins this narrative in every lesson?

While improving PSHE offered in schools is a step in the right direction to improve equality and address sexism, it fails to tackle the underlying systems which perpetuate the ideology that women are less than and their voices are not worth being heard. This is why ESIS is striving so hard to push examining bodies to ensure an equal balance of male and female authored texts and protagonists, and provide schools with meaningful practical support to help them change the texts they teach. We’ve had enough of virtue signalling and platitudes; we want action, and we want it now.’

You can read the research in full and explore ways to get involved on the End Sexism In Schools website: https://endsexisminschools.org.uk/

Premier League Primary Stars provides teachers in England and Wales access to free downloadable curriculum-linked resources covering English, Maths, PE and PSHE, helping to support children’s learning both in the classroom and on the sports field.

Pupils at Martins Wood Primary School in Stevenage, where Mr. Brown is a teacher, received a Premier League Primary Stars assembly, learning about the League’s core values of being ambitious, inspiring, connected and fair before pupils could have their photo taken with the Premier League Trophy.

From there, the Premier League Trophy visited Mr. Brown’s Hazel Class, where Year 4 pupils discussed allyship, listened on as they had questions on diversity answered by Crystal Palace manager Patrick Vieira, before they designed a football shirt to promote diversity in a team.

Commenting on the free resources available for teachers, Mr. Brown said: “All the Premier League’s resources on anti-discrimination are fantastic.

“The lessons where I’ve based them on Premier League Primary Stars resources have been some of the most powerful lessons that I’ve had.

“Being a person of colour, now a teacher of colour, having those conversations a lot more and having them more in the classroom have been [beneficial] to me.

“Not only are [the resources] easy to deliver, but they also give you that starting point to open the door to what can be tricky conversations.

“The resources are really fun, they’re really engaging. You get the children out of their seats, you get the children being creative, you get the children to really think about those difficult conversations and how they can apply the values from them into real life.”

Mr. Brown is one of 8,900 teachers who has helped engage more 267,000 young people in primary schools across England and Wales, using Premier League Primary Stars No Room For Racism resources.

The free lesson plans and activities available via PLPrimaryStars.com cover equality, diversity and inclusion, allyship and stereotypes, encouraging important conversations at both Key Stages 1 and 2 (five to 11-year-olds).

Take a look at Premier League Primary Stars No Room For Racism, Racism and Inclusion, resources here.

You can hear more from Kit and pupils at Martin Wood Primary School here.

Since launching in March 2019, No Room For Racism has brought together the League’s work against racial discrimination and the Action Plan is embedded across all Premier League activity.

Over the last five seasons, match rounds have highlighted the ongoing action undertaken by the League and clubs and send a clear message to fans, urging them to take action when they see or hear racism and the work done via Premier League Primary Stars plays a key part in the process of educating pupils about what it means to be an ally and what can be done to end racism.

Premier League Primary Stars offers a range of resources, mapped to National Curriculum topics in English and PSHE, which aim to educate pupils about the negative impacts of racism and what can be done to tackle it. Visit plprimarystars.com for more information.

Eco-Schools’ new ‘Cut Your Carbon’ campaign is here to help schools do just that with a few very simple actions.

There are less than seven years to reach zero emissions to have a 50% chance of staying below 1.5 degrees of global warming.

Yet in seven years’ time no current primary school pupils will have even had a chance to start taking action as adults to solve the climate crisis.

With UNICEF’s latest report calculating 1 billion children are at extremely high risk from the climate crisis, it’s now up to every individual and organisation, including schools, to work together towards the shared goal of reducing emissions as far and as fast as possible.

What every school does now has to go beyond education for the future, implementing concrete actions that improve the life chances of children around the world.

Eco-Schools’ programme manager Adam Flint said: “As we all work towards a better future for our country’s young people, it’s important that we raise awareness and reduce our carbon consumption as much as possible. Every day is a new opportunity to make positive change.”

‘Cut Your Carbon’ is here to help pupils raise awareness about the everyday changes that their school and wider community can make. It also outlines actions that can make an immediate impact in three areas that have big carbon footprints: clothing, energy use and school meals. Together, schools across England are committing to taking action to cut their carbon.

• Reusing 50% of school uniforms could save the same annual carbon emissions as everyone in Chichester (the same weight as the Empire State Building – every year!)
• Cutting schools’ energy usage by just 10% could save the same weight of emissions as 3 Empire State Buildings
• More environmentally-friendly school meals could save the same carbon emissions currently produced by everyone in Oxford each year – the same weight as 6 Empire State Buildings.

Eco-Schools is asking schools to pledge to participate in the campaign through a few simple actions that any school can take in each of these areas that will collectively make a huge difference. You can find out more about the incredible difference schools taking part in the programme are marking in Eco-Schools’ 2022 impact report.

The campaign launches on the 6th February and runs to 10th February, 2023. Those wanting to find out more about the campaign or take part should go to the Eco-Schools website: eco-schools.org.uk/cut-your-carbon