School ‘refusal’ (sometimes known as school phobia or Emotionally Based School Avoidance) is usually characterised by clinically diagnosable anxiety. It can result from any number of underlying issues including bullying, an undiagnosed or unsupported Special Educational Need or Disability (SEND) or a mental health problem. Living in poverty, insecure housing, being a young carer, fleeing domestic violence, having a chronic illness, suffering a bereavement are just some of the reasons a child or young person will struggle to attend school. Whilst the underlying issue can present significant challenges in itself, the resulting attendance difficulties leaves families in crisis. A new 'mental ill health' code would start to measure the scale of this growing problem. We know there currently is not parity of esteem towards mental health challenges in children & young people who often find school does not believe them or their parents. By introducing a mental ill health code, the numbers struggling due to a social, emotional or mental health need (be it emerging or chronic) would be captured. Schools would have agency to authorise these absences equitably just as with any other illness or physical injury. It would serve as a pastoral flag for schools and would ensure a consistent approach across all settings, drawing in support for children until the mental health challenges can be addressed. Crucially it would alleviate families from the threat of prosecution for 'unauthorised' absence. The decision to authorise absence lies with individual schools who are governed by legal statutory duties, guidance from the Department for Education, attendance targets and OFSTED inspections, as well as duty of care for pupils' wellbeing. None of the current 23 attendance codes allow for the cause of school refusal to be explored and appropriate support provided. Without medical proof that a child is unfit for school, absence is therefore often unauthorised and classed as truancy, a prosecutable offence. Budget cuts, increased testing, delays in SEND assessments, higher thresholds for mental health support and difficulties securing and implementing Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs – which replaced the previous Statements of Educational Need), are all compounding the problem. Whilst there is no official data on school refusal at present, the rise in non-elective home education, prosecutions, suspensions and permanent exclusions are all indicators of a significant problem. A national Facebook group, Not Fine in School (NFIS) which launched in November 2017 now has over 62k members (Sept 2024) and is growing at a rate of 1000++ new members every month. The results of a NFIS survey which ran in March 2018 and was completed by 1,661 families showed that: • 92% of parents thought that their child’s school attendance difficulties were related to undiagnosed/unsupported SEND • Despite this, 20% had been told not to bother applying for an Education, Health and Care plan (EHCP) and a further 20% did not know what an EHCP was • 55% of parents were blamed for their child’s attendance issues • 25% parents were reported to Social Services because of their child’s poor attendance • 18.4% of parents had been accused of fabricating or influencing their child’s illness (also known as FII or Munchausen’s Syndrome By Proxy) • 67% had been put under pressure to force their child into school, yet 59% said this had made the situation worse We conducted another survey across 10 days in February (2022) for our submission to the DfE Attendance Consultation. 1,960 families took part. Only 10% of respondents felt schools' responses to their child's persistent absence improved attendance, with 94% of families stating school had adversely impacted their child's mental health and wellbeing. Latest research clearly links mental ill health and SEND with attendance difficulties, persistent absence and exclusion: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpsy/article/PIIS2215-0366(21)00367-9/fulltext Proposals in the shelved Schools Bill 2022 focussed on punitive measures for families with more at risk of being successfully prosecuted and fined. "The Bill strengthens the potential outcomes of a successful prosecution and extends the reach of the court to not only fine but to impose a custodial sentence." https://www.brownejacobson.com/education/training-and-resources/legal-updates/2022/05/school-attendance We successfully lobbied for a ‘Support First’ approach to school non-attendance which has been laid out in new statutory guidance published in August 2024. And while this is welcome, schools still feel unable to authorise absence, particularly where a child is struggling with their wellbeing or is on a waiting list to be assessed by CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services). We hear from families every day facing the threat of fines and / or are being prosecuted. We are delighted to have the support of the Children and Young People’s Mental Health Coalition, the Centre for Mental Health, Mind, Place2Be, and Adoption UK, who have all echoed our call for a mental health authorisation code for absence from school.   Let’s bring children’s mental health out of the shadows and empower schools to recognise the children who are struggling early.  Let’s ensure we know and understand the numbers of children and young people unable to attend, access or remain in education as a result of declining wellbeing, poor mental health and mental illness. Please sign our petition today.

It is becoming very dangerous trying to leave the roundabout with the amount of Morning traffic. People are just rushing out and it’s dangerous someone is going to get killed.

This change in service is endangering the lives and safety of the children that are being forced to use the service. This change is also endangering the children not using the service by causing greater traffic volumes outside the school.

Dartmoor zoo are selling tickets for £15 each to have a tug-of-war with a captive lion or a tiger. It's cruel and shows a total lack of respect for these beautiful majestic wild animals. It feels like we're going backwards, the zoo is acting more like a circus rather than somewhere that really cares about the health and safety of the endangered animals in their captivity. The zoo claims it's to give the animals intellectual exercise and fun, but it comes across as putting profits before the animal's welfare. There are plenty of ways that experienced professionals can care for the rare animals, without turning them in to a novelty play thing for tourists.

Following a recent accident and many near misses, we urgently need changes to make the crossing outside Martin Primary School, East Finchley safer for all users. A child and parent were hit and injured by a car on the crossing outside Martin Primary School on the High Road (A1000), East Finchley on Monday 4 February. There have been two more near misses in the past week, when drivers failed to stop at the red light as families were crossing. These are the latest in a series of collisions and near misses around that crossing. It is essential that children are able to cross the road safely on their way to and from school. And it is not just our children who need a safer crossing: this crossing is also widely used by the local community as a key route to and from the library, bus stops, allotments, churches and local shops. We urgently need a thorough review of safety outside Martin Primary School, including the junctions with surrounding roads and the High Road and a commitment to implement changes to improve safety. The Walksafe campaign in 2012 urged the Council to make changes to the crossing to improve the safety of walking routes to the school including these traffic lights. Many improvements were made then, but need for changes to the traffic lights was to be kept under review. That review is now due. Much has changed since 2012: Martin Primary School now has almost 50% more pupils, the school building and field are now more heavily used by community groups in evenings and weekends; and the Archer Academy is now fully established, bringing extra school children into the area. We need a new transport study to understand how the road works now and swift implementation of changes to improve safety. This petition has been started by a group of parents and East Finchley residents. We hope all our neighbours in East Finchley and everyone who visits the area will support this. For more information or to help with this campaign, please email [email protected] If you have witnessed dangerous driving at this crossing, please report it to the police via: https://www.met.police.uk/ro/report/rti/report-a-road-traffic-incident/

Station Road is a Main road through March Town but there is no crossing at all except for one right in the middle of the town. The catchment areas for 2 primary schools mean that many parents and children (including myself with a 2 year old and a 6 year old) have to cross this road daily. If they were to use the only crossing they would incur a detour which would make the journey to school roughly another mile long or more. Added to this is the fact that a nursery and several childminders are on the school side of the road so a lot of children have to cross a busy road at a busy time of day and it can often take 10-15 minutes extra just to cross this road safely. There is no route to any other school from my area which would mean children would have to cross a busy road without a dedicated crossing however parents can't get their children into these schools as they are 'not in catchment'. Because of this parents are routinely forced to run the gauntlet of this road with their children or to use their cars to get their children safely to school (which isn't particularly friendly to the pocket, the environment or our children's health).

In November 2018 local people entered an old GP surgery owned by the NHS and left empty for 9 years to provide life- saving shelter for homeless people at risk of dying on the street. The Shelter provides a bed, warmth and food for up to 15 residents. Since opening it has supported residents to access health care, mental health services, help for drug and alcohol, benefits, training and employment. It has successfully found move on accommodation for many and NOT ONE of its residents has left to the street. In December 2018, the NHS issued court proceedings to evict the shelter and its residents, claiming they want to sell the building on the open market and that the Council and GMCA have told them that they will not support the Shelter staying open, as they already have enough accommodation for all. On 31st January 2019 an outright possession order was made and the NHS planned to evict the residents with High Court bailiffs on 4th February 2019. The Judge refused to allow residents to be named in the proceedings – they therefore remain “Persons Unknown”. However, on 1st February, a Judge granted a stay of execution pending the Shelter’s appeal. This is only a temporary reprieve and the threat of eviction is still very real. Most of the residents fear that even if offered temporary accommodation in a church hall, night shelter or far away Bed and Breakfast, they will end up back on the streets, because the accommodation is not suitable for their needs. The eviction and the closure of the Shelter can be avoided if the NHS, the Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Partnership, Salford City Council, Andy Burnham and GMCA have the will to save it. We all know there isn’t accommodation for every homeless person that needs it and that the accommodation that is in place doesn’t meet every homeless person’s needs. This successful Shelter has been set up by local and homeless people working together finding a way to save lives and end homelessness. It is grass roots, community led, and has homeless people at its heart. Please show your support by signing our petition.

University Students are finding themselves in relative poverty and facing evictions as a result of Universal Credit and Housing Benefit assessing Student Loans as income. University students accrue debts for student loans in order to pay for course tuition fees and maintenance costs. Interest rates, on a sliding scale from 3.1% on a sliding scale up to 6.1% are charged from the day students receive the first loan instalment, although this amount is set by the Government and revised annually. However, this alone is a Human Rights Violation. The United Nations committee that oversees the implementation of the International Covenant on Economic Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) has stated: "Higher education shall be made equally accessible to all on the basis of capacity, by every appropriate means, and in particular by the progressive introduction of free education". Despite this, students are realising the importance of a Higher Education for themselves and their children, to enable a better standard of living away from the reliance on minimum wage jobs, (often zero hour contracts)which is likely to result in reliance of welfare "top-ups". Yet they are being sanctioned from Universal Credit because of their eligibility of the student loan this results in a loss of housing benefits. We are now seeing students, many of which are parents of young children, living in poverty with a reliance on foodbanks, facing eviction and suffering mental health issues. Besides the ICESCR, the UK Human Rights Act 1998 gives effect to European Convention rights. One of those provides that: "No person shall be denied the right to education." European case law suggests that states are under an obligation to afford an effective right of access to institutions of higher education that exist. Yet we are hearing repeatedly that university students are being advised by governmental departments to give up their studies in order to claim full benefits! We, therefore, are asking you if you are insistent on expecting students to pay their own fees and maintenance with a repayable loan, then view it as a loan when assessing them!

This is important because hearing impaired children deserve this. If children learn this it will give them the necessary life skills. Children will also learn how to communicate with children, who have disabilities.

We teach our children, both at home and at school, to act against things which are wrong and damaging. SATs are wrong and damaging. Our children are More Than A Score. Previous campaigns have resulted in the Government announcing that from 2020, children entering school will not complete Yr 2 SATs. We think it is time for Yr6 SATs to go as well! To download letters to send to North Tyneside Education Authority, your local MP and to your child's head, click below. There is also a letter to school governors to show support for your school and explaining why you need them to support this campaign. PLEASE DO SEND LETTERS! We need as many as possible to go! Remember you do NOT have to be a parent to have concerns - teachers/grandparents/concerned citizens - adapt and send letters too! https://letthekidsbekids.wordpress.com/year-6-sats/ We are aware of the constantly growing discussion surrounding the many issues linked to SATs: • Mental health – of both students and staff due to unnecessary pressure. • A restricted curriculum which limits learning and wider knowledge and understanding, focussing disproportionately on Maths and English. • Outdoor break time and some practical lessons become lost due to extra English and Maths preparation. • Most secondary schools re-test in Yr7 due to the inaccurate and over-inflated nature of many KS2 results. • Secondary teachers tell us that many children now reach secondary school ill-equipped in terms of the necessary skills required. This is due to a lack of real embedded learning and age inappropriate subject content. • Secondary school student targets frequently are based upon KS2 SATs results and the expected progress made. They do not take into account the many other factors involved. All subject areas have targets based on results in English and Maths in Yr 6. This is ridiculous. • Schools’ Progress 8 targets are set based on frequently inflated SATs results due to cramming – as a result these targets are unrealistic and practically impossible to meet in many cases. • Ofsted, many teaching unions, heads, teachers and politicians have expressed deep concerns about the current system and have recommended a complete overhaul. This has been reinforced by Education Select Committees and numerous pieces of research and is reflected in the new proposed Ofsted framework. On the basis of the above, we ask: Are SATs the best thing for our children? Do SATs benefit our children in any way, or is this merely a data collection exercise on behalf of the government which can potentially damage our children's education in the future? If so, are we doing the right thing by making our children sit the SATs? We believe that SATs are NOT the best thing for our children OR the education system and feel strongly that we should be working together as parents and teachers ( from primary, middle and secondary schools) and with support from the local authority to forge an alternative. Particularly within our local authority, where middle schools are common, it seems a largely pointless exercise for students to be judged at the end of Yr6 when they still have two more years to complete in the same school; such a data target would not be beneficial to setting or provide any additional information to teachers who already know that child and their abilities well. It would benefit the child in no way. Our response to SATs is not in any way a reflection on our children’s schools, which we feel to be doing a fantastic job, and we fully support the headteachers and staff. This is a response to a broken and damaging system which we feel strongly is failing both the children and the staff who struggle within it. As a local authority, whose role it is to oversee and support our education system, we feel that you have an important part to play in recognising the inadequacies within the system and a responsibility to help address these whilst supporting the heads, teachers and children they affect. To fail to act against a broken system is to be complicit in the damage inflicted. SATs do NOT work and they need to GO. Please take action! Download letters now (below) to send to North Tyneside Education Authority and to your child's headteacher to share your concerns. Letters - https://letthekidsbekids.wordpress.com/year-6-sats/ For more info, please contact us at [email protected] https://letthekidsbekids.wordpress.com/year-6-sats/ https://www.morethanascore.org.uk/what-we-do/sats/ https://reclaimingschools.org/2018/03/18/protecting-children-from-primary-school-tests/?fbclid=IwAR07H8OuCMiIoh8Hxua-mH8Tt03AOj43jXQ-yUm-TK9-otGTduLy2Bw4Sas

It is grossly unfair of Bangor University to attack the pensions of their lowest paid staff, particularly as their scheme - BUPAS - is running at a surplus. University support staff are the lowest paid in their sector. They provide services such as cleaning, security, maintenance and catering - low paid work which is vital for the smooth running of Bangor University. Their academic colleagues took action to protect their pensions - and successfully fought off the attacks. All Bangor University staff deserve a fair pension which gives them dignity in retirement, not pension poverty.

'Stay & Play' is a free service open to all families and children local to Franciscan Children's Centre. It provides the opportunity for children to access indoor and outdoor space where they can engage in child lead play and develop, learn, play, sing, enjoy messy play and integrate into their community. It also provides a support network for parents where their children can play with their peers, meet other parents, talk to professionals and ask advice. Many parents feel isolated in London and 'Stay & Play' at Franciscan Children's Centre is a unique service which encourages families to come together, talk, ask questions in a relaxed, fun and non intrusive environment. I have accessed stay & play at Franciscan Road for both my children and watched them grow, learn and gain the confidence and independence to explore and understand their community. Many families who currently access this service do not have alternative options for their children to play locally. The parents who go to stay & play are from a diverse background and this is a non means tested service that allows children and families to play and have fun in a relaxing environment without feeling stigmatised. Many of the play groups within the area around Franciscan Road are already full and therefore difficult to access. There are a vast number of families in this area who need this service including single parents, parents with health problems, families who are struggling economically and cannot afford private play groups, families who have recently moved to the UK who do not speak English, parents who are seeking guidance and help in raising their children and parents simply seeking a fun and friendly environment for their children to play. The importance of this service cannot be underestimated, this kind of support is not available at other play groups or sing along sessions. By discontinuing stay & play at Franciscan Children's Centre, Wandsworth Council is withdrawing vital 'Early Years' support to huge number of parents and children who currently rely on this service. We urge the Council to continue providing stay and play as an integral part of the services at Franciscan Children's Centre.