In light of recent events surrounding the HE Bill (outlined below) we, the students of the University of Portsmouth, strongly urge you to listen and act upon our collective opinion. The student body is in full support of the amendments made by the House of Lords as we fundamentally disagree with the link between tuition fees and the Teaching Excellence Framework. As the MP for Portsmouth South, the largest student constituency in the city, we strongly urge you to listen to and act upon our request to oppose further increases in University tuition fees at every available opportunity. Since its introduction, the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) has been controversial at every discussion point. The TEF looks to grade HE institutions Bronze, Silver, or Gold. Currently, those institutions deemed excellent by the framework will be allowed to raise their tuition fees in line with inflation. Gold and Silver grades can raise fees at 100% of inflation, and Bronze at 50% of inflation. The consistent rise in tuition fees itself is a barrier to education, and the ranking system fallible to inaccuracies. The House of Lords has made the following proposed amendments to the Bill: To cut the link between the Teaching Excellence Framework and inflationary rises in tuition fees To also cut the link between international student recruitment and the institution's performance in a new Teaching Excellence Framework. We don’t believe it is right to put a premium on excellent education; it should be excellent for everyone. We believe the link between tuition fees, or any potential link between international student recruitment, and teaching excellence should remain removed. We thoroughly agree with the amendments suggested by the House of Lords to ensure that students are not priced out of their education, and all potential students have the ability to access high quality education, regardless of their background. For the benefit of the University of Portsmouth student body, and specifically your student constituents, we urge you to support and vote in favour of the amendments as recommended by the House of Lords at all available opportunities; specifically removing the link between quality and the TEF and tuition fees. We look forward to hearing that you have voted in favour of the amendments. Sincerely, Oludolapo Bolaji, Vice-President Education & Democracy James Belmonte, Union President

This helps special need children and children with challenging backgrounds and helps the teacher provide a better education for the other children to learn.

This is an abuse of process and we feel duped and tricked in to a situation that is unfair and unjust.

State education of school age children is supposed to be free at point of use. Even simply imposing a uniform has the effect of making parents pay a fee to claim the "free" service but some schools go further and abuse their position. By requiring uniforms be bought from the school or its appointed suppliers, schools create a monopoly. Parents are prevented from shopping around competing suppliers so are forced to pay excessively high prices. The system is wide open to corruption as schools are able to charge suppliers for the privilege of being the appointed supplier. Children of impoverished parents, who cannot afford the uniform, are penalised either by being denied an education or put into isolation. Parents are sometimes forced to choose between providing food for their families or buying a school uniform. Uniform rules are also often sexist in that they impose stricter requirements on members of one sex than they do on members of the other.

With the closure of Haywards Heath Sixth Form College local children are being forced to travel long distances to colleges in Brighton and Lewes. This is costing families travelling expenses of on average £100 a month per child,. At 16, though the children are forced to stay in education until 18, they have to pay adult fares. Hundreds of new houses are being built in Haywards Heath, and surrounding villages so that means even more children that have to travel miles to college . Haywards Heath is a rapidly expanding town, it needs a sixth form college

The current proposals will leave us with insufficient funds to maintain adequate provision in our schools. If implemented as proposed, this will lead to many or all of the following consequences: · The number of teachers will reduce and class sizes will increase in primary and secondary schools · It will be harder to recruit and retain the best teachers · Options at GCSE and ‘A’ level will be cut leaving our students with fewer options and particularly put MFL, technology, PE and the creative arts at risk · Reductions in support staff will lead to less support for vulnerable children · Opportunities outside the classroom will dwindle or disappear · Training for teachers will be cut and time to plan lessons will be reduced · There will be insufficient money to keep textbooks, computers and other classroom resources up to date · Standards in schools across all subjects, including English and mathematics, are likely to fall The new formula must be sufficient for any of our existing schools to operate effectively regardless of their intake. We support the principle of schools that serve disadvantaged communities receiving additional support but this should not be achieved by making other schools unviable.

It is not just families on benefits who are struggling to make ends meet and a charge of over £500 per year is a huge burden to those families who are not now eligible for a free bus pass . Free school transport is an essential for all those who live more than reasonable walking distance from school. This change penalises hard working families.

The youth project and KRAN are based at the Shed. They work with local young people many of whom live in Harbour Ward, one of the most deprived in the area. The young people receive sex and health education, drug and alcohol awareness, and help with writing CVs and applying for jobs. They are also encouraged to take part in a range of positive activities (such as sport, art, and music technology) and are able to make friends and integrate with other local young people. The Shed is a safe, non-judgemental space where all are welcome. One young person who uses the Shed said this, "People who find it hard to fit in anywhere else come here which enables them to feel valued...it also provides them with education and teaches them that everyone is equal no matter what their background is. We wouldn't have learnt these life lessons and morals if it wasn't for the Shed and the kind-hearted staff that give up their time to make sure we feel we belong."

FutureTech is an excellent provision for the children of Warrington who believed in and chose a completely different approach to learning. It's unique selling point was small numbers, small class sizes and work experience. Numbers for the school may be low but the grass roots difference that it is and has made to those attending is imperative for our town. Plus the intake number was originally set at 200 (changed to 300) and currently has 187 students. Some (NOT ALL) of the children there did not engage in the schools that they have left, for a myriad of reasons but under FutureTechs tuition and guidance have engage with education again and gained confidence and self worth beyond measure. These kids will now be left to find new school placements (often to places that will not offer the subjects they are taking now) and will be disrupted right in the middle of their preparation for their GCSE's.

The Creative Writing A level will shortly come to an end after the Department for Education decided to turn down the AQA submission for Creative Writing to continue as an AS and A Level subject from 2017 onwards. If writing is a chance to reflect on who we were, who we are and who we can be, it is important anyone has a chance to pursue this career and become a writer. By removing the opportunity to consider this subject for A level, we are guiding students away from considering this career path later on which is then limiting the diversity of who writers are and making it more likely that the same kinds of people will always be the ones who become writers. This is why the Creative Writing A level is so important – it has been shown that the subjects we study at school lead to the subjects we consider for university and/or our careers, then, when we become parents, our own choices influence the choices we guide our children to make.

The kids love it and with the weather warming up it will be truly be missed! A lot of hard work went into the building of it and is loved by all of the local families.

A safe crossing is needed for children and adults to cross for school, nursery, shops and bus stop. Since there is no longer a post for a lollipop person the road has become difficult and dangerous to cross.