Update Campaign for universal free school meals for primary pupils is launched THE union and The Mirror newspaper have launched a campaign calling for the Government to extend free school meal provision (FSM) to every primary school pupil in England. FSM are available for all primary school children until the end of year 2, but from year 3 onwards, millions of children miss out on a meal at school. In a letter to former Prime Minister Liz Truss, signed by over 100 MPs, faith groups, charities and celebrities including former footballer Gary Lineker and chef Tom Kerridge, the NEU wrote: “We are living through the greatest cost-of-living crisis in a generation, and too many families with young children are being pulled into poverty.
“Teachers and support staff see the difference a healthy school dinner makes. When children are hungry, they can’t learn. It’s hard for them to concentrate and harder for them to reach their potential. free school meals for all would mean every child can learn and succeed.” England is already well behind in supporting children living below the poverty line. In 2020, Scotland pledged to extend FSM for every child in primary education, and this year Wales did the same. In its letter, the NEU has made it clear that “it is time for England to catch up”. To sign the letter demanding the Government commit to extending FSM to every child in primary school, visit: nochildleftbehind.org.uk
New Education Secretary appointed NEU joint general secretary Mary Bousted welcomed the appointment last month of Gillian Keegan, the fifth Education Secretary in four months. “We look forward to meeting Gillian Keegan to discuss and resolve the pressing issues facing an education system that her predecessors have run into the ground,” she said.
Afro hair guidance PUPILS should not be stopped from wearing natural Afro hair styles at school, the Equality and Human Rights Commission says in new guidance for schools. It has produced resources to help school leaders ensure hair and hairstyle policies are not unlawfully discriminatory. The resources include a decisionmaking tool to help school leaders draft and review their policies. equalityhumanrights.com/en/ advice-and-guidance/ preventing-hair-discriminationschools-decision-making-tool
Language resources ADVICE leaflets to help classroom teachers support children and young people’s language and communication skills have been produced by the union and Left to right: winner Pearl Barnes with Colleen Johnson and awards celebrity host Robert White
SEND leader of the year winner COLLEEN Johnson, seat holder for disabled members on the NEU executive, presented the award for SEND leader of the year at the National Association for Special Educational Needs awards. Award winner Pearl Barnes, who has worked with children
and young people with SEND for more than 20 years, supports schools through audits and training, helping SENCOs and school heads to develop outstanding SEND provision. She accepted her award at a ceremony in Birmingham in October.
speech and language specialists ICAN. The Covid-19 pandemic has meant the number of children experiencing difficulties in this area is rising. The leaflets include tips for understanding language progression and signposting to resources. neu.org.uk/supportinglanguage-development lead. The magazine for NEU Leadership members
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