It’s no secret that after decades of cuts, adult learning remains woefully underfunded whilst continuing to deliver impressive outcomes not just in skills but for health and wellbeing, work progression and community building amongst others. However, unless the government reverses the trend of cuts to adult education, learning will be shut off from those who need it most.  Ahead of the Government's Spending Review, the Department for Education has announced that next year's Adult Skills Fund will be cut. The Fund is split between the Mayoral Combined Authorities and the central agency, the ESFA. The ESFA’s budget will be reduced by 6%, whilst the Mayors’ skills budgets can expect a reduction of 2-3%. This cut will affect thousands of learners across the whole country.   We still have no guarantees that it won’t be cut further in the Spending Review.  “"The WEA has 100% impacted positively on my life. My friend said just come along and see the cookery class, so I went and absolutely loved it. It was amazing, and through that I ended up volunteering at the school's breakfast club. Now I've moved on to teaching assistant training at the local community centre and I'm doing the placement at the children's school. Honestly, I was stuck at home, down in the dumps and absolutely doing nothing. But now I'm out four days a week working and at classes. it's like a career the WEA has created for me." Joanne, a WEA learner”

We are parents and carers of autistic children and young people in Lewisham who have been supported by Drumbeat Outreach over recent years.   We recently found out that Drumbeat Outreach are subject to a consultation with a view to an overall loss of around half of its skilled team. We understand some staff will be offered roles within Drumbeat School but many are facing redundancy if the proposed restructure goes ahead. We have heard that around half of the team will be lost.   Drumbeat Outreach is a service of which Lewisham should be proud. Our children and young people and our families have been supported by Drumbeat Outreach in countless ways.    Firstly, their work in schools has led to tangible changes in the way our children are understood and their needs supported. Their unique model of working with both families and schools gives them an insight into challenges and an ability to suggest adaptations and solutions that no-one else has. They understand school policies, build strong relationships with school teams, and support parents and schools to work together constructively. They have intervened promptly at crucial points in our children’s lives, are able to follow and support them as they journey through the school system. As parents and carers, we know what a difference their input has made to ensuring our children access education and reach their potential.   Secondly, their parent workshops have provided us with timely advice and expertise to better support our own children. Drumbeat Outreach workshops speak to our realities and challenges, giving us evidence-based solutions and support. Over time, these workshops have covered an unparalleled breadth of issues of relevance to our children and our lives, delivered with a depth of knowledge and expertise that others simply do not have.   Thirdly, Drumbeat Outreach run and support many other activities that support and inspire us. These include their coffee mornings for Black and dual heritage families, a podcast, a youth advocates network, a Dads’ group, their sessions for grandparents. Taken together, these activities have improved our children’s mental health, wellbeing and sense of pride in who they are and helped strengthen our families and wider support networks.   If you ask us parents and carers of autistic children and young people in Lewisham what service has helped them in understanding and supporting their children’s needs, their education, mental health and their futures, a large number of them would single out Drumbeat Outreach. They are uniquely trusted by families from across Lewisham’s diverse communities and this trust has been built over many years by skilled and committed professionals.   In the light of the news about cuts, a number of us have written to Councillors, Council staff and Drumbeat School to ask for more information about the plans and to express our concern about any reduction in the Outreach service. The responses we have received give little clarity about the rationale for these drastic cuts, and have confused us further. We are surprised to learn that Councillors in relevant roles appear not to have known anything about these planned cuts.    Lewisham’s Autism Strategy commits to ensuring “specialised support, training, advice and signposting to all stakeholders involved in the care, education and effective inclusion of autistic children and young people in order to create a community that provides equality of provision and life chances, supports independence, champions autonomy and promotes acceptance of difference/neurodiversity”. How will this be achieved with a halved Drumbeat Outreach service?   The Autism Strategy also states its first key principle is “Nothing about us without us”, yet families who will be affected by these cuts have not been consulted and are not being given clear information about these cuts.    The impact of these cuts will be felt across Lewisham and will have a knock-on effect on schools and other Local Authority services who rely on Drumbeat Outreach’s expertise. The loss of a highly-skilled workforce will leave a lasting legacy. While the government puts in motion its plans to ensure more children with SEND are educated in mainstream settings, Lewisham seems to be cutting back the one team that can make this work in practice. What will this mean for our children’s futures?

The Government has proposed giving teachers a 2.8% pay rise, and that this will be unfunded. This means that the additional cost in wages will come out of existing school budgets. After over a decade of austerity in schools, there is only one thing left to cut, jobs.  Schools in Leicestershire are facing additional cuts as the government has underfunded the provision of education for children with a high level of SEND needs. This will cost schools on average 0.5% of their current budgets, with some of the schools in the most deprived areas paying more (https://democracy.leics.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=1018&MId=7978&Ver=4) We are calling on Leicestershire MPs to put children first and:  1. Speak out against the proposed cuts to school budgets  2. Make a stand for the proper funding of SEND education in the county  3. To pressure the government to offer an pay increase for all school workers which will allow schools to recruit. 

Children are in crisis, and the system is failing them. Across the UK, children are struggling in silence-dealing with mental health issues, family instability, bullying, and trauma. And far too many are slipping through the cracks of an overwhelmed system that only reacts when it's too late. But we can do something about this right now. We are calling for the UK government to implement full-time social workers in every school. This simple, proactive change could transform the lives of children, save billions of pounds, and ensure that no child is left to face a crisis alone.   Why Now?    Every day that passes without social workers in schools is another day we risk losing children to an overwhelmed system that's designed to deal with problems after they've escalated. We cannot afford to wait any longer.   Children and families need immediate access to support, and schools are the perfect place for this to happen. By placing social workers in schools, we can provide early intervention, prevent future crises, and save lives.     The Benefits of School-Based Social Workers: 1. Prevention Over Crisis: Early intervention by social workers can prevent small problems from becoming full-blown crises. Whether it's mental health issues, family problems, or bullying, early help means fewer children needing foster care or psychiatric hospitalisation. Saving £160 million annually by keeping just 5% of at-risk children out of the foster care system.  2. Reducing Stigma & Normalising Help: Many families are afraid to seek help due to the stigma around social services. But by placing social workers in schools, we normalise seeking help, breaking down barriers to support. A child can talk to a social worker in confidence within their school-where they already feel safe and trusted. 3. Better Safeguarding: Social workers are trained to spot the early warning signs of abuse or neglect. This helps protect vulnerable children before their situations worsen. Faster action, better protection-helping every child stay safe. 4. Improved Academic Success:   Mental and emotional support leads directly to better academic performance. When children's emotional needs are met, they are able to focus better and achieve more in school. 5. Massive Government Savings: The government spends around £10.8 billion annually on children's services, including foster care, crisis management, and mental health care. By implementing school-based social workers, we can reduce the need for many of these expensive services. Saving around £1.25 billion annually in preventable costs, including foster care, hospital stays, and long-term social services.    This Isn't Just About Spending-It's About Saving Lives:    Social workers in schools don't just save money-they save children. Every year we delay this change means more children struggle in isolation, more families reach breaking point, and more taxpayer money is spent on costly interventions instead of prevention.    The Time to Act is Now:    Every child in the UK deserves the chance to succeed, to feel safe, and to get the support they need before problems escalate. It's time for the government to invest in proactive care and stop waiting for a crisis to force action. We must act now to bring social workers into schools. To re-iterate, these are just a few of the positives that can be achieved with this : Positives for Teachers: *Less stress and workload with social workers handling emotional issues. *Improved classroom environment and student focus. *More time for teaching, less time spent managing crises. *Support for at-risk students through early intervention.  Positives for Parents: *Easier access to support for children’s emotional and social needs. *Reduced stigma around seeking help, as support is embedded in the school. *Better communication between home and school. *More resources for children before issues escalate.  Positives for Children: *Early help for emotional, behavioral, or family challenges. *Access to a safe space for support without fear of judgment. *Improved mental health, leading to better focus and academic performance. *Development of coping skills and resilience for future challenges.   What We Need:   We are urging the UK government to allocate funding for the immediate placement of social workers in all schools across the country. This change will reduce the cost of public services, improve children's mental health, and protect families before they reach breaking point.   Sign the Petition Today: If we gather 100,000 signatures, the petition can be considered for a debate in the UK Parliament. Signing this petition helps amplify the message and support the cause.  Join us in calling for immediate action. Sign this petition to demand that the government prioritises the integration of social workers into schools, providing children with the early support they deserve. Sign & Share - Together, we can build a safer, healthier future for our children.  Thank you so much for your support, Mum On A Mission Disclaimer: This petition is intended to raise awareness and advocate for the integration of full-time social workers in schools across the United Kingdom. The content shared in this petition is based on publicly available information and reflects the views and concerns of the petition creator. While the petition includes estimates of potential savings and benefits, it is not an official government report or financial analysis.The petition is designed to generate public support and encourage policymakers to consider the proposed initiative. Signing this petition does not guarantee that any specific outcomes will occur, nor does it create any legal obligations or rights. By signing this petition, you acknowledge that the information provided is intended for advocacy purposes only, and while we strive for accuracy, no official commitment or implementation has been made by the UK government at this time.

Students studying their GCSE's in year 11, but who are still 15, currently get kicked out of the library at 5pm. Other students in the same year group ,aged 16, are able to stay until 8:30. Pupils need a quiet place to study as many come from homes with younger siblings and have very little space to themselves. The library is essential for these students yet they are only able to have a maximum of 2.5 hours of peaceful studying on a school night. Which is why it's crucial to allow these students to study until 8:30 to improve their own education.

This is the second time in just over two years that the Council has proposed to close the school and is stating budget constraints and low numbers of 4 and 5 year olds in the area as its reason for its actions. This is not acceptable and will have a devastating impact for our school community. Queensway Primary School has more than 50% of children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), a group that requires significant support. A recent parliamentary report highlights inadequacies in SEND provision on a national scale. Leeds is not an exception and the Council is currently asking both its primary and secondary schools to express interest in opening their own onsite provisions that the Council can utilise. Closing Queensway would exacerbate this problem, displacing these vulnerable children and forcing them to travel out of area for the support they currently receive locally – support that is already in short supply. Transporting these children to other areas not only incurs additional costs but also disrupts their education and wellbeing. This closure merely shifts the financial burden rather than addressing the root issues, making it a shortsighted solution. A recent OFSTED inspection (about to be published) has shown that Queensway has made incredible strides since the first closure consultation in 2022 – which it successfully fought and saw the Council say it wouldn’t put the School through this again. We wholeheartedly believe that Queensway Primary School effectively meets the needs of its students, particularly those with SEND. The Council should develop a comprehensive plan to fund SEND provisions citywide, rather than focusing on the closure of one school, which would have significant negative impact on the local community. We urge Leeds City Council to take immediate action to prevent this closure and ensure the continued support and education of the children at Queensway.

Please help us to show the council that music is so much more important than the they are giving it credit for. It is vital for our young people’s growth! It is a way for young people to engage with each other, it is so inclusive and people of all abilities can interact together; music is proven to have benefits to mental health, in particular stress and anxiety, in addition to this can give young people the ability to express their creativity and develop a great sense of worth and self esteem. Research shows that pupils who learn music perform better in many subjects and have a greater ability in problems solving and mathematics. Music helps young people to work collaboratively, cooperatively in smaller and larger groups. All of these points show that music helps our children to become healthier, well rounded, contributing members of society. Surely that’s what the government and our council want for our young people? 

Fourteen years of neglect and underfunding have left education – from early years through to post-16 – in tatters. It is imperative that all political parties address this in their manifestos. Not in vague terms, with piecemeal solutions. But with meaningful proposals about how this situation will be reversed if they form the next Government.   Our schools are chronically underfunded. Primary class sizes are the highest in Europe, and secondary class sizes are the highest since records began more than forty years ago. Teachers are underpaid and overworked, resulting in the worst recruitment and retention crisis in a generation. That will not be reversed unless there is significant change to pay and terms and conditions of the education workforce.  SEND provision and mental health support for our young people is practically non-existent. We have a curriculum and assessment system that does not engage many pupils, or give each of them the chance to thrive. Many of our school buildings are in a chronic state of disrepair, literally crumbling away with the ongoing effects of RAAC and asbestos.  This is a grim picture for one of the richest countries in the world. It’s far from the ‘world class ’ education system so regularly promised by our Government. It cannot go on.   We need a Government to invest in education and to invest in our young people. If you value education, vote for education. Let’s give our children the education they deserve. 

Under government law, it is compulsory for all children including those with special educational needs to study maths and English to the age of 19 alongside any other course until they reach grade 4 and above. Many SEN teens find this a huge trigger for overwhelm and anxiety. Many are bright creatives, musicians and artists who are finally able to focus on a course that suits them after years of school environments that have failed them. They are forced into retaking maths or English over and over despite trying the best they can and constant failure can seriously impact on self esteem and mental health. If the lack of one or the other of these qualifications are a barrier in life then the opportunity to come back to them without the added pressure of the clock ticking would be far more valuable than the way things currently stand. Metaphorically speaking, it’s time for this government to stop judging fish by their ability to climb trees. They are damaging our bright creative neurodiverse kids as a result. We want our bright, neurodiverse kids to have the best chance at an education that works for them. Currently it does not!

In the middle of a cost of living crisis where even families who are working are struggling to make ends meet and relying on food banks or starving why are we treating prisoners better than our children? In prison three meals a day are provided at the tax payers expense but we don’t give our children a free school Meal after year 2. Teachers can see the effect a decent meal has on children’s academic performance but the government would rather them stave. For some a hot meal provided at school might be all they have that day but yet our government deny them this basic human right unless parents pay. Why do prisoners deserve better than the next generation? In a time where millions are choosing between heat and eat and many are pushed into poverty why are we choosing not to provide all pupils in the uk with a hot school meal. The current maximum income permitted to be eligible for a free school meal is so low it’s a joke and it doesn’t alter even if you have more than one child it’s time to rethink the system. Parents are struggling with rising bills and are having to make choices between heat and eat. Pupils are going without hot meals or even a meal so let’s take one worry away and have universal free school meals for all from reception to year 11. Prisoners get three meals a day but the our children are only provided with a free meal until they finish year 2, how is this right that we treat criminals better than our future?

The Governing Board of the Charity “The Godolphin School” (Charity No 309488) have stated their intention, as of 01 February 2024 (in six weeks), to: i) Amalgamate with and transfer all the school’s assets to UNITED LEARNING (including significant valuable land in the heart of Salisbury). ii) Terminate Elizabeth Godolphin’s 300 year legacy for an all-girls education, by taking the school co-ed. This plan and longstanding negotiation has been carried out behind closed doors and with no consultation with parents or, it would seem, appropriate due diligence and we suggest this represents poor business practice and gross mis-management on the part of the current school leadership. Further, we contend that it is highly questionable whether UL are an appropriate organisation to whom to surrender the assets, independence and future of Godolphin School. Moreover, it is our firm view that the current financial and educational position of the school in no way warrants such extreme, reckless and irreversible action. We suggest many parents chose Godolphin because it is independent and over nearly 300 years has crafted a singular culture which enables Godolphin girls to flourish. We believe that to now subsume this into a huge national state-and-private academy trust without consultation is a betrayal of the trust placed in the school governors. There is a significant body of research that unequivocally shows that girls in an all-girls environment out-perform those in co-education. Notwithstanding commercial considerations, as parents of Godolphin girls we believe this is worth fighting for. We believe that there are no pressing reasons to take such a momentous and irreversible action. As we stand on the very cliff edge of this critical decision we demand a 12 month period of investigation and reflection in order to achieve the best possible future for Godolphin Girls. The Governing Board have quite deliberately announced this massive decision at the last minute and just before the Christmas break giving, it would seem, as little time as possible for this to be challenged. It is vital to act now to create time for the future of Godolphin Girls to be given thorough and objective investigation and consideration, to achieve the very best possible outcome.

Statistics show that on average every 20 minutes a parent dies in the UK; this leaving 46,300 children in the UK bereaved of a parent before the age of 18. This will allow children to feel comfortable settling back into school after suffering a loss of a loved one. Teachers to be trained to support the grieving child so they can slowly adjust back into the education system. Many children do not get the support that they need during this time of their lives which could lead onto more problems later in life; a study in the UK showed that 41% of Young Offenders had experienced a bereavement. They are a part of the 78% of 11 - 16 year olds that have been bereaved of a close relative or friend.