[{"topic":"Schools","id":"44136","proposer":"10521","edm":"4","session":"2012-13","title":"First Aid In The National Curriculum","text":"That this Housesupports the British Red Cross recommendation to the National Curriculum Review that schoolchildrenbe taught the skills, knowledge, attitudes and values that will help them to be resilient in a crisis and to help others in need; is concerned that only seven per cent of the UK population has adequate first aid skills and feels confident and willing to give first aid; welcomes the new online teaching package, which is part of the Life. Live it. campaign to bring first aid to youngsters through learning in the classroom and outside school; shares the view that the British Red Cross and St John Ambulance are in a position to help teachers and schools; and requests the Government to consider ways of promoting first aid educationin the National Curriculum.","date":"2012-05-09","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"44106","proposer":"10614","edm":"2998","session":"2010-12","title":"Vending Machine Contents In Schools","text":"That this House is concerned that many academies have vending machines selling sugary drinks, chocolate, sweets and crisps; notes that obesity is a growing problem among young people, with31 per cent now classified as overweight; welcomes Jamie Oliver's call for academies to stop profiting from the sale of unhealthy snacks; and calls on the Government to allow academies to sell only healthy snacks as fruit, nuts and water.","date":"2012-04-24","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"44051","proposer":"24794","edm":"2943","session":"2010-12","title":"Edinburgh International Science Festival","text":"That this House notes the success of the annual Science Festival organised by the Edinburgh International Science Festival which ran from 30 March to 15 April 2012; recognises that the International Science Festival, founded in 1989, encourages people of all ages and backgrounds to discover the world around them; further recognises the annual Science Festival as the world's first celebration of science and technology; further notes that the annual festival is still one of Europe's largest with a two-week event programme; commends the Science Festival for demonstrating the excitement and benefits that science and innovation bring in an engaging and original way; and further notes that the Edinburgh International Science Festival works throughout the year to bring science to life through a programme of school tours.","date":"2012-04-16","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"44020","proposer":"24852","edm":"2914","session":"2010-12","title":"Big Bang Science And Engineering Fair 2012","text":"That this House congratulates EngineeringUK for the successful Big Bang Fair on science and engineering held at the NEC arena in Birmingham from 15 to 17 March 2012 as the flagship event from National Science and Engineering Week; celebrates the variety of innovative projects carried out by schools across the country and presented at the fair, including a mechanism to save water when flushing the cistern and the creation of a supported lift to be used in the testing of gearboxes; applauds the Wellcome Trust's Olympic-inspired In The Zone exhibition which empowered individuals to understand how their bodies work while doing exercise; further congratulates Kirtana Vallabhaneni, who was named Young Scientist of the Year, and Wasim Miah and Jessica Jones, who were named Young Engineers of the Year; anticipates that young people will be inspired by their achievements and the events taking place as part of the fair; and calls on the Government to ensure that science and engineering opportunities and support will be widely accessible for young people.","date":"2012-03-22","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"44007","proposer":"24917","edm":"2902","session":"2010-12","title":"Inclusive Education","text":"That this House recognises that the majority of young disabled people and those with special educational needs already benefit from increasingly good practice in inclusive mainstream schools, that research from all the major professional, disability and parent-led organisations shows that there is no bias towards inclusion within the education systemfor disabled children and that, despite the rhetoric of choice for families, many find their aspirations for an inclusive mainstream school placement are denied by the inconsistencies of local provision; and therefore calls on the Government to refrain from bringing forward any changes to primary legislation which would make it even harder for families to exercise choice and instead to ensure that all schools implement the current legislation under the Equalities Act 2010 which requires them to make reasonable adjustments and develop policies which do not discriminate against young disabled people.","date":"2012-03-20","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"43993","proposer":"24794","edm":"2888","session":"2010-12","title":"Donald Dewar Memorial Debating Tournament","text":"That this House congratulates pupils from Craigmount High School on reaching the finals of the Donald Dewar Memorial Debating Tournament; welcomes the competition as a way of building confidence in young people; recognises the importance of the skills learned through debating for a young person's future whether at university, college or in the world of work; further recognises that such competitions can help to prepare young people for situations like job and university interviews; believes that debating is an important life skill; notes that the annual competition is now the biggest debating tournament for school pupils in Scotland; and wishes the pupils from Craigmount High School all the best for the rest of the competition.","date":"2012-03-19","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"44000","proposer":"11427","edm":"2895","session":"2010-12","title":"Ravensworth Terrace Primary School","text":"That this House recognises the important contribution of Ravensworth Terrace Primary School to the community of Birtley in Blaydon constituency; acknowledges the outstanding education provided for its pupils and the dedication and excellence of management and staff; and warmly congratulates the school for being judged by Ofsted as outstanding overall, including in the quality of its teaching this year.","date":"2012-03-19","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"43958","proposer":"24911","edm":"2854","session":"2010-12","title":"School Food Standards","text":"That this House recognises the impact of unhealthy eating and obesity on children's health and well-being; expresses its concern that academies and free schools opened since September 2010 are not required to adhere to the mandatory standards for school food; welcomes the joint Jamie Oliver Children's Food Campaign, Food for Life Partnership, LACA andSchool Food Matters Save Our School Food Standards campaign; and calls on the Secretary of State to amend the Education (Nutritional Standards and Requirements for School Food) (England) Regulations 2007 to require academies and free schools to adhere to the standards for school food so that the one million children now attending these schools can benefit from this commitment to their health and well-being.","date":"2012-03-12","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"43796","proposer":"10428","edm":"2697","session":"2010-12","title":"Nursery Milk Scheme","text":"That this House is deeply concerned about planned changes to arrangements for the delivery of the current Nursery Milk Scheme which is likely to affect the numbers of children who drink free milk in school nurseries; is aware that under present arrangements schools, nurseries, parents, staff and suppliers work together to ensure the provision of free school milk to all under five year olds; and commends the work of the organisation Cool Milk to highlight the importance of young children's access to milk, together with other activities aimed at ensuring that any changes to the scheme do not result in fewer children having access to this important sustenance in their classroom.","date":"2012-02-06","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"43729","proposer":"10678","edm":"2632","session":"2010-12","title":"Forced Academies In Primary Schools","text":"That this House believes that the Government's threats to force primary schools in Haringey to become academies are undemocratic and threaten to reverse many of the improvements made in those schools in the last year; notes that these forced changes are opposed by parents, governors and teachers at those schools; further notes that the academies policy of the previous administration did not force schools to become academies against their will; understands that the Secretary of State for Education is threatening schools in other areas, including Birmingham, Bradford, Bristol, Durham, Essex, Kent, Lancashire, Leeds and Northamptonshire; further believes that raising and maintaining high standards in primary schools is vitally important but that the most successful approaches work with the school community; further notes that there are many methods of raising standards apart from forcing academies, but that the Secretary of State has ignored these methods; and calls on the Government to end its policy of forcing primary schools to become academies and to work with parents, governors and teachers to raise standards.","date":"2012-01-23","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"43673","proposer":"11489","edm":"2577","session":"2010-12","title":"Global Links Between Schools","text":"That this House welcomes the links that have been created between schools in Ceredigion and Carmarthenshire with Mangochi District in Malawi; acknowledges the benefits that can be achieved by schools in both the UK and Africa through working together, such as learning about sustainable development and global citizenship and sharing best practice; recognises the value of giving children an international perspective; and looks forward to continuing partnerships between UK schools and schools across the world.","date":"2012-01-11","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"43655","proposer":"24852","edm":"2560","session":"2010-12","title":"Pianos In Schools","text":"That this House recognises the value of music education for children's creativity and intellectual development; notes the publication on 25 November 2011,The Importance of Music - A National Plan for Music Education; acknowledges the recent research from the Institute of Education, Evaluation of the EMI Music Sound Foundation Project rollout: Training Key Stage 1 Primary School Teachers (2010-2011) by Professor Susan Hallam, Dr Andrea Creech and Dr Maria Varvarigou; furthernotes with concern that this research found great inequalities in the provision of resources for music education in primary schools; is alarmed at the study's finding that one in nine schools did not have a piano; and calls on the Government to support schools in nurturing musical enthusiasm and talent among schoolchildren by ensuring that every primary school has a piano.","date":"2011-12-20","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"43656","proposer":"24852","edm":"2561","session":"2010-12","title":"School Toilet And Water Facilities","text":"That this House is alarmed at plans to abolish the specific provisions on toilets in the School Premises Regulations; notes that school toilet facilities are inconsistent and often poor; further notes the research carried out in 2003 on behalf of the Community Practitioners and Health Visitors Association that foundtwo per cent. of schools did not have hot water and 31 per cent. had no soap, that 40 per cent. of primary schools had no sanitary disposal bins for older girls, that 57 per cent. of schools did not have disabled toilets, that 84 per cent. of schools had drinking water facilities in toilets, that 14 per cent. of schools had missing toilet seats and that 25 per cent. had locks missing on cubicle doors; is concerned about the serious direct and indirect implications for children's health and education of such bad facilities; and calls on the Government to revise the School Premises Regulations to include clear standards for pupil facilities, rather than removing the few provisions that do exist.","date":"2011-12-20","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"43593","proposer":"11707","edm":"2498","session":"2010-12","title":"School Crossing Patrols In Manchester","text":"That this House opposes the decision of Manchester City Council to axe some school crossing patrols and to try to pass on the cost of remaining patrols to local schools; notes the impact that such cuts will have on the safety of children travelling to school; supports the campaigns of the Manchester Evening News and local councillors to reverse these cuts; and urges Manchester City Council to abandon its plans and to support the Council Notice of Motion to reverse these cuts.","date":"2011-11-30","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"43509","proposer":"11093","edm":"2419","session":"2010-12","title":"Priority School Building Fund","text":"That this House notes that the Government has dramatically cut budgets to rebuild schools in England; further notes that eight schools inBassetlaw constituency have been nominated for priority school building funding; supports the bids by Misterton Primary, Hallcroft Infants, Dyscarr Primary, Carr Hill Primary, Rampton Primary, Sutton-cum-Lound CofE Primary, Kingston ParkPrimary and St Swithun's CofE Primaryand Nursery schools; further notes, however, that three schools in the area urgently need modern and cost-effective heating systems; is concerned that some eight schools in Bassetlaw are on two storeys; further recognises at least 32 schools still contain asbestos; and calls on the Government to stimulate the economy and put real money into rebuilding all the schools that so desperately need it.","date":"2011-11-10","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"43438","proposer":"24871","edm":"2350","session":"2010-12","title":"Walk To School Schemes In Kent And Medway","text":"That this House congratulates the KM Charity Team on its work in the fields of health and environmentand notes the impressive findings detailed in the report The Big Green Footprint; furthernotes that more than 30,000 children at 200 primary schools in Kent and Medway are using one of the charity's walk to school schemes and that last academic year this removed 230,000 school run vehicles from the county's roads; and congratulates Medway Council and Kent County Council on their active partnership with this children's charity.","date":"2011-11-01","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"43385","proposer":"13814","edm":"2297","session":"2010-12","title":"One School Of Thought Campaign","text":"That this House congratulates Lagan College on the 30thanniversary of its founding as the first integrated school in Northern Ireland; recognises that 30 years on and despite repeated public polls demonstrating high levels of public support for mixed religion schools and excess demand for them, still only seven per cent. of children in Northern Ireland attend integrated schools which seek to promote mutual understanding; further recognises that greater moves to educate children together in Northern Ireland would both enhance a shared future and help overcome the segregation in society which sustains sectarianism; and urges policymakers to support the recently launched One School of Thought Campaign to make sharing in education a higher priority in light of the social and economic benefits, commitments in the Belfast Agreement and wider international support.","date":"2011-10-20","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"43368","proposer":"10754","edm":"2283","session":"2010-12","title":"School Transport","text":"That this House notes the cuts in school transport being made or proposed by many county councils and other local education authorities that will mean many parents especially mothers will find it impossible to work faced with now having to take children to and from school; believes this will particularly hit rural communities and make villages impossible to live in for many families; further believes this will cause congestion on roads that is bad for local businesses and the environment, will cause an additional financial burden to many working parents and will especially hit children who for entirely good reasons do not attend their absolute nearest school; further notes with grave concern that some councils are defining as `safe to walk' roads withno pavements or step-offs, heavy traffic and travelling at 60 mph, and which in fact put children at risk; and calls on local authorities to review these cuts and the Government urgently toreview the legislative framework that permits these cuts to be made.","date":"2011-10-19","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"43337","proposer":"24809","edm":"2254","session":"2010-12","title":"Ambitious About Autism And The Finished At School Campaign","text":"That this House believes that young people with autism need more effective education options once they finish school in order to allow them to access work, live more independently and break the cycle of dependency; and supports the Finished at School campaign run by Ambitious about Autism which calls for the Government to create a legal right to educational support for young disabled people under 25 years of age.","date":"2011-10-17","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"43262","proposer":"24735","edm":"2184","session":"2010-12","title":"Send My Sister To School Campaign","text":"That this House welcomes the Global Campaign for Education's Send my Sister to School campaign and its objective of holding world leaders to the 2015 deadline for ensuring that all children in the world have access to primary education; notes that the campaign estimates that 67 million children, the majority of whom are girls, are still missing out on school and that if current trends continue there may even be more children out of school by 2015 than there are now; further notes that this would represent a major obstacle to reducing poverty, improving general health, halting the spread of HIV and AIDS and enabling people to play a full part in their communities and nations; commends the local action that thousands of schools across the UK have taken to support the campaign; and urges the Government to work with its counterparts bilaterally and multilaterally to ensure that enough resources are committed to this vital issue to meet the 2015 deadline, including by continuing its support to the Global Partnership for Education and encouraging other donors to increase their contributions at the replenishment to be held in November 2011.","date":"2011-09-14","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"43236","proposer":"24775","edm":"2158","session":"2010-12","title":"Chess","text":"That this House recognises the positive social and intellectual benefits for all children across the social spectrum of learning chess at a young age and the relatively low costs of teaching it in schools; notes that while chess currently receives no financial support from the Government, many European countries including Sweden and France financially support chess in schools; further notes that the European Commissioner for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth would welcome UK support for the Chess in Schools project being developed by the ECU and the Kasparov Chess Foundation; welcomes the work of the UK-based charity Chess in Schools and Communities which teaches chess to primary school children from less affluent backgrounds; and calls on the Government to ensure that all children are given the opportunity to learn chess at primary school within existing resources.","date":"2011-09-08","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"43238","proposer":"24798","edm":"2160","session":"2010-12","title":"World School Milk Day 2011","text":"That this House welcomes the 11th World School Milk Day on 28 September 2011; notes that it is supported and promoted by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations and is celebrated in countries across the world; welcomes its role in promoting the social and health benefits of milk drunk by children in nursery, school and childcare settings; understands the important role that milk plays in maintaining a healthy and balanced diet for children; acknowledges that calcium and vitamins in milk benefit the development and maintenance of healthy teeth, bones and the immune system; further notes the positive impact of the nutrient content of milk on rehydration and re-energising, supporting the improvement of concentration and memory function, to assist educational performance; further welcomes the contribution made by the free nursery scheme milk to under fives and the subsidised school milk scheme to children's health and well-being; and encourages all hon. and right hon. Members to take the opportunity presented by World School Milk Day to promote the value of school and nursery milk in their constituencies.","date":"2011-09-08","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"43205","proposer":"10368","edm":"2131","session":"2010-12","title":"Proposed Welsh Language School: Ysgol Gymraeg Gwynfor","text":"That this House notes that next year will be the hundredth anniversary of the birth of Gwynfor Evans of Barry, who was voted the fourth most important Welsh hero of the last millennium in a National Assembly of Wales poll; further notes that Gwynfor was a Christian and a pacifist who campaigned peacefully for his beliefs including against the drowning of Tryweryn in the 1950s and for a Welsh language television station in the 1970s and 1980s; recognises that he was Plaid Cymru's first Member of Parliament and represented opinion across Wales which had never before been represented in the House of Commons; further notes that his bust was unveiled by local dignitaries and sits proudly in Barry Library, the town's seat of learning, and that his former home in the town has a Pride in Barry plaque to indicate the significance of the house in which he was raised; further notes the practice of naming establishments after relevant famous people connected with locations and subjects, such as Ysbyty Aneurin Bevan Hospital in Ebbw Vale; and believes it both fitting and appropriate on this anniverary for a Welsh language school to be named Ysgol Gymraeg Gwynfor in the town in which Gwynfor Evans was raised.","date":"2011-09-05","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"43197","proposer":"11923","edm":"2123","session":"2010-12","title":"Cumbria County Council School Transport Policy","text":"That this House notes with grave concern the plans put forward by Cumbria County Council to change the transport policy for prospective students planning to attend sixth form or further education colleges that exceed the statutory walking distance; further notes that the Council has specifically stated that a discounted travel pass will only be issued if the student is attending the nearest or catchment school or college where the distance exceeds the statutory walking distance and that course content and selection will not be considered when determining if a child is eligible for discounted travel; expresses concern that this will prevent some students from having the option to study subjects or courses not provided at their nearest catchment school or college due to the heavy financial burden it places upon their families to cover the cost of transport to a more distant school or college; acknowledges that some cuts to public services are essential in today's economic climate, but believes that this latest ruling by Cumbria County Council will disadvantage many young people in embarking upon their preferred choice of vocational pathway; and calls on Cumbria County Council to change its policy and ensure that course content and selection is a consideration for students wanting to access discounted transport to a more distant school or college.","date":"2011-08-11","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"43183","proposer":"10521","edm":"2111","session":"2010-12","title":"Learning Outside The Classroom (No. 2)","text":"That this House celebrates the crucial role of learning outside the classroom in inspiring young people and supporting their academic attainment; notes that these experiences are becoming increasingly recognised as an important, irreplaceable part of understanding the real world, as well as being an excellent opportunity for team building and personal development; further notes with regret that in recent years children and young people have increasingly been denied the chance to undertake learning outside the classroom; further notes that there are currently a number of barriers for schools organising trips including fears over health and safety, lack of status of learning outside the classroom in Ofsted inspections and bureaucratic rules tying teachers to the classroom; praises the Learning Outside the Classroom Quality Badge which provides a national accreditation combining the essential elements of provision - learning and safety - into one Quality Badge for all types of Learning Outside the Classroom provider organisations; further notes that the Quality Badge reduces the red tape associated with learning outside the classroom, making it easier for teachers and other education providers to incorporate learning outside the classroom into the everyday; and calls on the Government to ensure that awareness of the Quality Badge is raised among schools across the country and forOfsted to specifically evaluate the provision of and access to outdoor learning within its new inspection framework.","date":"2011-07-19","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"43161","proposer":"10367","edm":"2090","session":"2010-12","title":"St Barnabas Primary School, Manchester And Education For All","text":"That this House congratulates the children of St Barnabas Primary School in Manchester, who are campaigning for the 67 million children worldwide who do not go to school; notes that these British children recognise that it is not fair that some children do learn to read and write whilst others are denied that possibility; agrees with them that universal education should be a basic human right and not restricted by money or gender; and believes that the ambition of the children of St Barnabas Primary School should be an ambition for the whole world, since universal access to literacy can be achieved if the political will exists.","date":"2011-07-14","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"43135","proposer":"10534","edm":"2064","session":"2010-12","title":"John Clare Trust And Out Of School Learning","text":"That this House notes that 13 July is John Clare's birthday; congratulates the John Clare Trust on the launch of Every Child's Right to the English Countryside campaign; further notes that a survey by Natural England highlights the fact that the likelihood of a child in the UK visiting any green space has halved in a generation; believes that schooling outside the classroom is a vital aspect of a child's education and development; and calls for schools, teachers, parents and Government departments to prioritise children's out of school learning.","date":"2011-07-12","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"43090","proposer":"24872","edm":"2019","session":"2010-12","title":"Craigour Primary School Class P6a And Liam And The Alien","text":"That this House congratulates Edinburgh South's Craigour Primary School P6a class in the publication of their children's book, Liam and the Alien; commends the Head Teacher, Carol Cameron, and class teacher Jenny Avern on this innovative project in conjunction with the South Edinburgh Healthy Living Initiative and Mary Thomson at Pencilling Creative Ideas; and acknowledges the collaboration of students from the Edinburgh College of Art, who illustrated the book, and all the authors, who came from class P6a.","date":"2011-07-04","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"43074","proposer":"10282","edm":"2005","session":"2010-12","title":"Evening Standard Get London Reading Literacy Campaign","text":"That this House commends the Literacy Campaign for London being championed by the Evening Standard and Volunteer Reading Help; expresses its concern that one in four children leaves school in London unable to read properly; recognises that reading is an essential tool for life; acknowledges the tremendous work going on in schools in Vauxhall and other London constituencies on a daily basis to tackle illiteracy; congratulates these organisations for taking proactive steps to work with our schools; and urges all politicians tosupport this initiative.","date":"2011-06-28","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"43060","proposer":"24812","edm":"1991","session":"2010-12","title":"New Deer Primary School And Whitehills Primary School And The Ethco Challenge 2011","text":"That this House congratulates the pupils of New Deer Primary School and Whitehills Primary School on winning the EthCo Challenge 2011 to promote understanding of the Millennium Development Goals; notes that 67 million children worldwide, a majority of them girls, are missing primary school education; recognises the crucial importance of education in tackling the causes of global poverty and inequality; and calls on the Government to make education central to its international development strategy and improve educational opportunities for girls.","date":"2011-06-23","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"42850","proposer":"10518","edm":"1789","session":"2010-12","title":"Emergency Life Support Skills In Schools","text":"That this House supports the British Heart Foundation and the Resuscitation Council UK's campaign to make learning emergency life support skills a mandatory part of the national curriculum; notes that the teaching of such skills is backed by 70 per cent. of parents, 78 per cent. of children and 86 per cent. of teachers; and calls on the Government to take this support into consideration as part of itsNational Curriculum Review.","date":"2011-05-10","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"42778","proposer":"11667","edm":"1722","session":"2010-12","title":"Avoidable Continence Issues In Children And Young People","text":"That this House is concerned that too many children and young people suffer from avoidable continence issues; notes that the Department for Education Capital Review is currently reviewing the 1999 School Premises Regulations, including requirements for toilets and drinking water facilities; urges the Government to ensure that the proposed regulations bring both primary and secondary school pupils' water and toilet facilities to the standards that had previously been recommended to the Department for Education as amendments to the 1999 Regulations in May 2010; hopes that the need for such changes will be recognised, and incorporated into the Education Bill which is currently before the House; emphasises the positive impact such improved facilities would have on the physical health, wellbeing and educational attainment of all children and young people, as well as tackling some of the causes of paediatric continence problems; and congratulates the charity ERIC (Education and Resources for Improving Childhood Continence) for its successful `Bog Standard' campaign and the Paediatric Continence Forum for the work they have been doing collaboratively to highlight this important area in the interests of those suffering from paediatric continence problems.","date":"2011-04-05","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"42783","proposer":"24784","edm":"1727","session":"2010-12","title":"National Btec Awards And Results Day","text":"That this House commends the Harlow students who have passed their National BTEC awards; further commends Edexcel's plans to publish the full results of BTEC learners for the first time in July this year; recognises that while academic achievements are celebrated through the annual announcements of GCSE and A-level results, there is not the same focus for the achievements of vocational students and centres; encourages other exam boards to consider publishing more information for their own qualifications in the interests of transparency and also to raise the prestige of vocational training; and therefore calls for the Government and other hon. Members to take part in the inaugural National BTEC Awards, and to support them where possible.","date":"2011-04-05","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"42727","proposer":"24852","edm":"1672","session":"2010-12","title":"Environmental Concerns Raised By Park Hall Junior School","text":"That this House congratulates the School Council of Park Hall Junior School in Walsall for raising their concerns about the environmental impacts of chemical fertilisers; notes that they propose restrictions on the use of chemical fertilisers that can leach from farms and gardens into the water system, killing fish and adversely impacting ecosystems and the food chain; further notes their concerns over these detrimental effects, for example, damage to coral reefs where algae blooms prevent the growth of healthy plankton which in turn prevents sunlight and oxygen from reaching marine life; and calls on the Government to monitor, evaluate and act upon the impacts of agricultural chemicals onthe natural environment.","date":"2011-03-30","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"42625","proposer":"10754","edm":"1578","session":"2010-12","title":"Supreme Court Ruling On Dianne Willmore","text":"That this House notes the Supreme Court judgement of 9 March 2011 that upheld that Knowsley Metropolitan Borough Council negligently exposed Dianne Willmore to asbestos when she was a pupil at her secondary school; further notes with sadness that she died of mesothelioma aged 49 the day after the Appeal Court hearing; acknowledges the increasing numbers of school teachers who are dying of the asbestos-related cancer mesothelioma and that more than 140 died in the 10 year period from 1999 to 2008; believes that an assessment of the risk to children from asbestos exposure should be undertaken; and calls on the Government to commission such a study.","date":"2011-03-10","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"42525","proposer":"24784","edm":"1486","session":"2010-12","title":"Government Of Libya Funding For The North African Research Programme At The London School Of Economics","text":"That this House condemns the 1.5 million accepted by the London School of Economics (LSE) from the government of Libya in 2009 to fund a North African Research Programme; believes that although the money came from the International Charity and Development Foundation chaired by Colonel Gadaffi's son, Seif Al-Islam, this does not make it any cleaner; calls on the LSE to donate the money to suitable charities to assist victims of the Gadaffi regime; notes that universities from across the UK have accepted hundreds of millions of pounds from Middle Eastern dictatorships in recent years; and therefore calls on the Government to strengthen its scrutiny of our higher education institutions, and in particular the London School of Economics.","date":"2011-02-28","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"42487","proposer":"10383","edm":"1457","session":"2010-12","title":"Hillingdon's Music Service","text":"That this House expresses its concern at the proposal by the Conservative ruling group on Hillingdon Council to cut the funding for Hillingdon Music Service, which has provided for many years to local children the opportunity of learning to play a musical instrument; and urges the councillors to think again about this damaging proposal.","date":"2011-02-15","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"42400","proposer":"24754","edm":"1375","session":"2010-12","title":"Religious Education And The English Baccalaureate","text":"That this House notes the recent publication of league tables of school performance measuring the proportion of pupils obtaining the English Baccalaureate; further notes that the English Baccalaureate is awarded to pupils who gain GCSEs at Grade C or above in English, mathematics, science, a foreign language and a humanities subject; further notes with concern that this list of approved subjects does not include religious education; recognises that religious education is an academically rigorous subject with increasing popularity among pupils; further recognises that the rise of religious extremism around the world and in the UK means that a good understanding of all religions is vital to a well-rounded education; further notes that with the increasing emphasis on the English Baccalaureate as the primary qualification for 16-year-olds schools are more likely to focus on the core subjects which make it up; and therefore calls on the Government to recognise the importance and relevance of religious education by including it as a core subject in the English Baccalaureate.","date":"2011-01-31","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"42378","proposer":"10023","edm":"1357","session":"2010-12","title":"200 Years Of Church Schools","text":"That this House congratulates the National Society for Promoting Religious Education on the bicentenary of its foundation in 1811, marking200 years of the Church of England's role as a provider of education in England and Wales, 50 years before state provision began; notes that the founding purpose of the Society was to offer education to the poor in every parish, a mission continued by the Society today in supporting Church of England schools offering an inclusive education with a Christian ethos to children, families and communities of all faiths and none; welcomes the significant contribution of Church of England schools in promoting social cohesion, as evidenced by independent study of Ofsted reports; and looks forward to celebrating the work of the 4,800 Church of England and Church in Wales schools at events in dioceses throughout the year and on Education Sunday, 20 February 2011.","date":"2011-01-27","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"42349","proposer":"11309","edm":"1330","session":"2010-12","title":"Funding For Booktrust","text":"That this House notes with concern the Department for Education's decision of December 2010 to cut all Government funding for Booktrust; welcomes the Secretary of State for Education's recent decision to review the cut to Booktrust's funding; applauds the national impact that Booktrust has had in encouraging positive attitudes to books, reading for pleasure and family reading, by providing book gifts for children, resources and targeted campaigns; and calls on the Government to safeguard the future funding of Booktrust's Bookstart, Booktime and Booked Up reading programmes beyond March 2011.","date":"2011-01-24","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"42317","proposer":"24892","edm":"1298","session":"2010-12","title":"Outdoor Science Education","text":"That this House welcomes the Association for Science Education Outdoor Science Working Group's report entitled Outdoor Science, sponsored by the Nuffield Foundation, which recognises the need to reverse the decline in the provision and condition of outdoor teaching in science and mathematics; further welcomes the six recommendations in the report which seek to improve and optimise best practice in outdoor science and mathematics education; recognises the wider educational benefits of teaching and learning science through fieldwork in the natural and built environments including teamwork, motivation and its potential to influence positively the choice of science as a future subject of study; and therefore urges the Government to develop a co-ordinated programme of teacher training in fieldwork to promote effective pedagogy and to support a coherent approach towards the increased uptake and improved quality of teaching and learning through fieldwork in science and mathematics education.","date":"2011-01-18","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"42320","proposer":"24812","edm":"1301","session":"2010-12","title":"Photographic Prizes For Fraserburgh Academy","text":"That this House congratulates the pupils and teachers of Fraserburgh Academy on the school's success in the Focus Environment photography competition; notes that, out of 24 prizes, four Fraserburgh Academy pupils were responsible for winning five separate prizes, two more prize-winning pupils than any other school; believes that photography helps to encourage a healthy respect for Scotland's environment; and commends all participating pupils on the high standard of their entries.","date":"2011-01-18","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"42302","proposer":"24910","edm":"1285","session":"2010-12","title":"League Tables For Five Year Olds","text":"That this House opposes the Government's proposal to begin publishing school league performance tables for England's five year olds on a school by school basis; believes that such an unprecedented development puts both young children and their teachers, parents and carers under unwarranted stress that is distinctly unhelpful, especially for children at such a tender age; further believes such tables to be divisive and unnecessary; and calls on the Government to abandon its plans to expose young children and their schools to the pressures of the league table system.","date":"2011-01-17","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"42294","proposer":"10062","edm":"1279","session":"2010-12","title":"Outstanding Secondary Schools In Trafford","text":"That this House welcomes the publication of figures from theOffice for Standards in Education which show that there are 11 outstanding secondary schools in Trafford, more than in the rest of the Greater Manchester local authorities added together; pays tribute to the hard work and commitment of staff and pupils at Trafford's secondary schools; and urges that lessons be learnt from Trafford regarding the provision of high quality secondary education.","date":"2011-01-13","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"42281","proposer":"10614","edm":"1266","session":"2010-12","title":"Leicester East Gcse Results","text":"That this House congratulates secondary schools in Leicester East for the increase in their GCSE pass rates last summer; recognises the improvement in results of Rushey Mead School, Soar Valley College and City of Leicester College; praises the hard work by the city's teaching staff who continue to make a contribution to young people in Leicester; and calls on the Government to continue to invest in education projects such as Building Schools for the Future and education maintenance allowance that facilitate education achievement in Leicester.","date":"2011-01-12","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"42217","proposer":"11093","edm":"1204","session":"2010-12","title":"School Closures Due To Severe Weather","text":"That this House notes that severe weather has in many cases been closing schools across the country for two weeks or more; further notes that this represents five per cent. of a child's education each year; further notes that this is in addition to days missed for ill health and other authorised activities; and urges the Government to put in place alternative arrangements to ensure our children are taught for a complete academic year.","date":"2010-12-15","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"42150","proposer":"10050","edm":"1142","session":"2010-12","title":"Citizenship Education","text":"That this House notes the publication of the coalition Government's White Paper, The Importance of Teaching; agrees with the comments of the Secretary of State for Education in the document's foreword that `it is only through reforming education that we can allow every child the chance to take their full and equal share in citizenship'; further notes the Government's commitment to reform the National Curriculum; is concerned that, as part of that reform, citizenship education may become non-statutory in English schools; believes that citizenship is the only subject that provides an opportunity for pupils to become literate in our legal system and political processes and the skills to become active citizens; further notes that citizenship is a subject of academic rigour, established with cross-party support almost 10 years ago and that, to date, over half a million young people have achieved a GCSE or A Level qualification in the subject; supports the work of specifically-trained citizenship teachers in promoting democratic understanding and civic participation; and calls on the Government to affirm its commitment to citizenship education as an entitlement for all students in English secondary schools.","date":"2010-12-06","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"42103","proposer":"24919","edm":"1099","session":"2010-12","title":"Exam Standards","text":"That this House is concerned by the speed of change that has taken place in the qualifications system in recent years; welcomes the recent report from Cambridge Assessment on examination standards which looks into this issue; notes the report's conclusion that the frequency and scope of change in qualifications needs to be reduced; further notes the report's recommendation that any changes in the content of qualifications should be driven by user and subject communities; believes that qualifications should be owned primarily through partnerships between schools, higher education, employers and awarding bodies; calls fora public debate about what qualifications are for; and further calls on the Government to act on the recommendations of the report.","date":"2010-11-29","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"41995","proposer":"24919","edm":"1006","session":"2010-12","title":"School Sports Partnerships","text":"That this House recognises that the School Sports Partnership (SSP) has in recent years successfully transformed the quantity and quality of physical education within and beyond the school day, which also helps tackle child obesity; further recognises that the SSP has provided millions of hours of coaching, creating thousands of links between schools and clubs, introduced over a million more young people to competitive sport and significantly lifted the level of inter-school and intra-school competition; believes that other merits of the SSP include organising mentors and sustaining the primary school Playground Buddies scheme to prevent bullying and building leadership qualities in those who do notwant to partake in sport but who want to volunteer to promote events and activity in others; strongly deplores the Government's devastating decision to end all direct funding, worth 162 million a year, for the SSP; fears that ending the ring-fencing of funds will encourage hard-pressed schools to divert such monies; regrets removing the need for schools to plan and implement their part of the five hour sport offer as well as collect pupil information for an annual survey; further believes that plans for an annual Olympic-style school sport competition will reduce the number of events and exclude all but the most avid sports people; shares widespread concerns that the overall impact will endanger the prospect of a lasting Olympic legacy; urges schools to maintain school sports and their inclusive nature; and calls on the Government to reconsider this decision.","date":"2010-11-15","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"41620","proposer":"10761","edm":"661","session":"2010-12","title":"Sex And Relationship Education","text":"That this House notes that, despite attempts by successive governments, the number of teenage pregnancies across the UK remains dramatically higher than in any other country in Europe; further notes that the number of sexually transmitted infections amongst young people continues to grow; believes that high quality sex and relationship education is vital in empowering young people to make responsible choices; and calls on the Government to make provision for such sex and relationship education for all children in all schools.","date":"2010-09-06","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"41568","proposer":"10001","edm":"611","session":"2010-12","title":"School Exclusion Appeals Panels","text":"That this House supports the right of appeal for children excluded from school and recognises that appeals panels provide an important means to overturn unjust exclusions; recognises that exclusion has an extremely negative effect on a pupil's education and life chances and that scrapping the appeals process will have a disproportionately negative impact on Black Caribbean boys who are three times more likely than their white counterparts to be excluded; and calls on the Government to confirm that appeals panels will not be scrapped as part of its ongoing education reforms.","date":"2010-07-26","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"41465","proposer":"10534","edm":"512","session":"2010-12","title":"Every Child's Right To The Countryside Campaign","text":"That this House notes with concern that, according to a recent survey by Natural England, children's access to the English countryside has plummeted by 50 per cent. in a generation; calls for a co-ordinated campaign to encourage young people to visit the countryside, reclaim their rural birthright and encourage schools to develop an active programme for out of school learning; and congratulates the John Clare Trust, which is transforming the English poet's former home in Helpston into a centre for learning outside the classroom, which will encourage children to learn from their rural environment through exploration of the arts, sciences and literature.","date":"2010-07-14","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"41418","proposer":"10147","edm":"466","session":"2010-12","title":"Special School Provision In Coventry","text":"That this House condemns the effect that the abolition of the Building Schools for the Future programme will have on the Alice Stevens, Sherbourne Fields and Baginton Fields Special Schools in Coventry; notes that these schools were due to be combined into two new broad spectrum schools, in brand new buildings alongside two partner mainstream schools, in a very progressive move for special educational provision in Coventry; further notes that significant time and resources had already been invested in this project by parents, teachers and governors; further notes that the current buildings are not suitable for the wide range of special needs of the pupilswho attend them; and supports the Federated Governing Body of these schools inits call for this decision to be reversed.","date":"2010-07-12","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"41426","proposer":"24950","edm":"474","session":"2010-12","title":"Building Schools For The Future In Greater London","text":"That this House condemns the Government's decision to cancel the Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme for 171 secondary schools in Greater London; notes that this dashes the hopes and efforts of thepupils, parents, teachers and governors of those schools; further condemns the ongoing uncertainty facing 11 London sample schools where the status of planned building work remains under review; regrets the negative effect that the Government's decision will have on growth and jobs in London's construction industry; further notes that thousands of London school pupils and teachers have benefited from BSF projects that have already been completed; asserts that a modern, purpose-built and comfortable learning environment is essential to the education of children in London and elsewhere; and in the strongest possible terms, urges the Government to reconsider its decison and proceed with the projects previously planned.","date":"2010-07-12","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"41387","proposer":"10308","edm":"444","session":"2010-12","title":"Building Schools For The Future In Hampstead And Kilburn","text":"That this House condemns the Conservative-Liberal Democrat Government's decision to cancel the Building Schools for the Future programme for Hampstead, Jack Taylor's, Royal Free Children's and Queen's Park Community schools in Hampstead and Kilburn and threatens UCL Academy in Swiss Cottage with a similar fate; is appalled by such a lack of concern and commitment to provide students and their dedicated teachers with an environment in which their skills and talents may flourish; and further regrets the economic short-termism which undermines future growth by failing to invest now.","date":"2010-07-08","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"41392","proposer":"10147","edm":"449","session":"2010-12","title":"Building Schools For The Future Programme In The West Midlands","text":"That this House is deeply concerned at the Government's decision to scrap the Building Schools for the Future (BSF) project for the majority of schools in the West Midlands; notes the inaccurate way the Secretary of State presented this information to the House; calls on the Government to clarify the status of each school under the BSF programme immediately; further notes that there are gross anomalies between cancelled projects in Coventry and neighbouring areas, which have projects at comparable stages and yet are still going ahead; further notes the considerable hard work and resources already invested in this project by teachers, governors and local authorities; further notes the adverse effect this decision will have on the construction industry in the West Midlands; and considers the decision to cut this programme as a huge blow to parents, pupils and teaching staff in the West Midlands.","date":"2010-07-08","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"41365","proposer":"24919","edm":"422","session":"2010-12","title":"Building Schools For The Future Programme","text":"That this House recalls the disgraceful state of disrepair, discomfort and the lack of modern facilities that characterised too many schools under previous Conservative Governments; commends the last Labour Government for its widely respected Building Schools for the Future programme to build new secondary schools and refurbish others so that pupils could enjoy decent facilities and improve discipline and educational achievement; condemns the current Coalition Government for its cavalier attitude towards pupils, parents and teaching staff in schools around the country in halting over 700 school rebuilding schemes that had, in many cases, been negotiated carefully over many months or years by the Government, local authorities and schools, which were keenly anticipated by all concerned and which would also have assisted the construction industry and other sectors at a time when the economic recovery is fragile; notes, in particular that a total of 90 schools in the North East of England have been cancelled, including 14 in Sunderland, 4 in Gateshead, 15 in Redcar and Cleveland, 1 in Northumberland, 11 in North Tyneside, 6 in Hartlepool, 15 in Durham, 7 in Darlington and 17 in Stockton on Tees, with another 4 listed for discussion; and urges the Government to reconsider its decisions.","date":"2010-07-07","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"41354","proposer":"10754","edm":"413","session":"2010-12","title":"Quality School Lunches","text":"That this House recognises that good school meals are essential to protect child health, improve behaviour, develop social skills, contribute to an effective curriculum and maximise pupils' ability to learn and achieve; is alarmed that a quarter of children are now overweight or obese; believes that this makes them more likely to suffer from serious health problems later in life, costing the NHS 10 billion a year; notes that the implementation of food and nutritional standards in primary and secondary schools has seen great improvement in the quality of food served in schools; further notes the significant contribution made by the school catering industry and the 100,000 jobs in the UK economy which depend on it; further believes that local food procurement can support British farming; is concerned that forthcoming cuts to local authority budgets will jeopardise the quality and many benefits of the school meal service; and calls on the Secretary of State for Education to follow the Food for Life Partnership's recommendations to protect the school meal service from the pressures of local authority spending cuts by introducing a minimum spend per pupil for ingredients, enabling a virtuous circle of improved food quality and increased take-up of school lunches, spreading fixed costs further and ensuring that a quality catering service remains economically viable and an essential part of good food culture in schools.","date":"2010-07-06","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"41339","proposer":"10143","edm":"399","session":"2010-12","title":"Building Schools For The Future In Waltham Forest","text":"That this House condemns the Government's decision to cancel the Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme for a number of schools in the London Borough of Waltham Forest; notes that parents, pupils, governors, teachers and other staff have often worked hard and valiantly under difficult conditions over many years; further notes that the BSF programme promised new buildings and vastly improved conditions for staff and students; and considers that this announcement will be a serious setback for education in Waltham Forest.","date":"2010-07-05","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"41321","proposer":"24966","edm":"381","session":"2010-12","title":"Award Of Healthy Schools Flagship Status To Bleasdale House (Special) School","text":"That this House recognises the important work of Bleasdale House School, a Special School looking after children from across Lancashire with profound learning difficulties; notes that it acquired Healthy Schools Flagship Status this week; further notes that it is amongst only seven schools in the county to win this prestigious accolade in 2010; and congratulates all the parents, pupils and teachers on behalf of the whole community.","date":"2010-07-01","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"41278","proposer":"13933","edm":"338","session":"2010-12","title":"Building Schools For The Future Programme In Darlington Borough","text":"That this House agrees that Branksome, Hurworth and Longfield schools in Darlington Borough are in urgent need of renovation in order to avoid wasting valuable resources on maintaining outdated buildings; welcomes the schools' inclusion in the next phase of Building Schools for the Future (BSF); further welcomes the strong cross-party and cross-community support in Darlington for the schools' inclusion in the BSF programme; and urges the Government to ensure they retain their places in the schedule of building.","date":"2010-06-29","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"41298","proposer":"10669","edm":"358","session":"2010-12","title":"City Of Leeds High School","text":"That this House urges Leeds City Council to withdraw the closure of City of Leeds High School proposed by the previous local administration, and to support the alternative plan for the school put forward by the school governors and others.","date":"2010-06-29","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"41232","proposer":"11427","edm":"298","session":"2010-12","title":"Government Policy On Extended Free School Meal Eligibility","text":"That this House shares the concern of several education unions, the Child Poverty Action Group, health groups and prominent academics about the Government's decision not to proceed with the extension of free school meal eligibility to an estimated half a million primary school children from low income working families, which would cost parents returning to work over \u00a3300 per child; notes that the recent Strategic Review of Health Inequalities in England post-2010 highlighted the disadvantages faced by those from the lowest socio-economic groups and the importance of giving every child the best start in life; believes that ensuring that all primary school children living in poverty receive a healthy school meal would make a considerable contribution to reducing both education and health inequalities, given that almost one-third of children are overweight or obese by the time they reach the end of primary school; further believes that healthier school meals have been shown to improve classroom behaviour, helping to improve academic performance and attainment; and urges the Government to review this decision as part of the Comprehensive Spending Review process.","date":"2010-06-23","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"41166","proposer":"24892","edm":"243","session":"2010-12","title":"Science Education In Schools","text":"That this House notes the value and importance of science in the schools' curriculum; further notes the importance of the specific inclusion of evolution and natural selection in the schools' curriculum; regrets that evolution has been dropped from reforms to the primary school curriculum, along with other reforms proposed; further regrets the inclusion of creationist and other pseudo-scientific theories in the teaching of science in some schools; and urges the Government to ensure that all schools teach and promote science and the scientific method and to include the theory of evolution in the science curriculum at both primary and secondary levels.","date":"2010-06-16","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"41171","proposer":"11558","edm":"248","session":"2010-12","title":"Free School Meals Pilot Scheme","text":"That this House urges the Government to reconsider its decision to cancel a planned extension to the universal free schools meals pilot scheme; totally deplores the fact that the extension of free school meals to more low income families due to start this September has been scrapped; and asks the Government to assist with the provision of more free school meals recognising the vital contribution they make in encouraging sound eating habits in early childhood, developing social skills, tackling childhood obesity, supporting local businesses through local procurement, creating jobs and helping to end child poverty.","date":"2010-06-16","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"41119","proposer":"24742","edm":"196","session":"2010-12","title":"Tilery Primary School","text":"That this House notes with approval that the staff and pupils of Tilery Primary School in Stockton-on-Tees had an interesting and enjoyable visit to Westminster on 9 June 2010; and hopes the pupils will grow up to take an interest in politics and government and will become active voters in future elections.","date":"2010-06-09","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"41049","proposer":"11672","edm":"133","session":"2010-12","title":"City Of Leeds School","text":"That this House objects to the proposed closure of City of Leeds School; recognises the importance of examination results in ascertaining the success of schools but further recognises that they are not the only barometer for success, especially in a school like City of Leeds School which has such a diverse range of students attending; notes that results in City of Leeds School have also suffered due to constant speculation about the school's future; believes the school provides an invaluable service to its pupils, their parents and the surrounding community; further notes the expert provision at City of Leeds School for a large number of students for whom English is not their first language; is concerned that closing the school will result in pupils having to travel further to receive an education and possibly incurring extra costs resultantly; and considers that closure of the school will damage the surrounding community by making the area less attractive for young families.","date":"2010-06-02","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"41056","proposer":"24754","edm":"140","session":"2010-12","title":"Protecting English Language Schools","text":"That this House is alarmed by the previous administration's ruling of 10 March 2010 that raised detrimentally the entry criteria for foreign students wishing to study the English language in this country in an attempt to deter bogus students; notes that it was both a rushed and flawed alteration, including a requirement for students to already possess intermediate level English, which is equivalent to A level English, before being allowed to even study English in the UK; considers that it will discourage an estimated 100,000 legitimate international students from coming to the UK to study; further notes that the professional body, English UK, estimates that \u00a3400 million per annum and 3,400 jobs will be lost from the teaching sector and \u00a31 billion from the university sector, who take around 46 per cent. of their international students from those who already study English in the UK; further considers that it will have a profound impact on the vital \u00a317 million per annum which foreign students bring to the economy in Eastbourne; and calls on the Government and the new Immigration Minister to abolish this inexplicable legislation in order to protect the UK's standing as a world leader in the area, noting that, if the Government does not rescind this legislation, other English-speaking countries will benefit while the UK's vital home grown industry will suffer.","date":"2010-06-02","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"40938","proposer":"10521","edm":"24","session":"2010-12","title":"Learning Outside The Classroom","text":"That this House notes the conclusion of an Ofsted report that learning outside the classroom contributes significantly to raising standards; recognises that learning through experience is a powerful educational tool; applauds the work put into the Manifesto for Learning Outside the Classroom; regrets that despite this work, its aspiration to provide all young people with a wide range of quality experiences outside the classroom, including one or more residential visits, is not yet embedded in all schools; and calls on the Government to find a way of making this a reality for all young people, including those who need financial support.","date":"2010-05-25","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"40939","proposer":"10521","edm":"25","session":"2010-12","title":"Fitness Of Children","text":"That this House registers its concern that a study by the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Essex showed that children who are driven to school have the lowest levels of physical fitness, being less fit than walkers, cyclists and children who took the bus; notes in particular that in the age group 10 to 16 years, research showed that boys who walked to school were 20 per cent. more likely to be fit compared with those using motorised transport and that for girls the figure was 30 per cent.; further notes that boys who cycled to school were found to be 30 per cent. fitter, while female cyclists were seven times more likely to reach the minimum fitness standard than girls who were driven to school; congratulates Dr Gavin Sandercock and Christine Voss for the research involving 6,000 pupils in the East of England; and calls on the Government to encourage schools to promote cycling and walking as a means of raising fitness levels amongst pupils, with particular emphasis on providing safe cycling routes.","date":"2010-05-25","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"40971","proposer":"10521","edm":"57","session":"2010-12","title":"First Aid Education In Schools","text":"That this House welcomes the British Red Cross report, Life. Live It, on first aid in schools and the launch of its first aid education resource for teachers; notes that every year there are three million attendances at hospitals across the UK in cases where first aid skills could help; shares the view that in many health emergencies, interventions in the first few minutes, before the emergency services arrive, can make a crucial difference to the outcome of the casualty; believes that people in the UK should have basic first aid knowledge; further notes the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority consultation on the curriculum in secondary schools; and requests the Government to consider ways of promoting first aid education in schools.","date":"2010-05-25","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"40979","proposer":"10521","edm":"65","session":"2010-12","title":"Academy Schools Examination Results","text":"That this House notes that a report from the think-tank Civitas states that some academy schools boost exam results by concentrating on vocational courses at the expense of academic subjects, specifically that geography, history, single sciences and modern languages are disappearing at GCSE level in favour of qualifications such as computer studies, general science or sport; believes that the Civitas report puts into perspective the claims that GCSE results at academies are improving at twice the national average rate; and calls on the Secretary of State for Education to undertake a thorough investigation of the curriculum provided at academy schools to ensure that it fully complies with the national curriculum.","date":"2010-05-25","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"40855","proposer":"11199","edm":"1205","session":"2009-10","title":"The Church And Schools Of St Edward The Confessor, Romford","text":"That this House congratulates the Church of St Edward the Confessor in Romford Market on the 600th anniversary of the founding of the church in 1410 and St Edward's Church of England Schools in Romford on the 300th anniversary of its establishment in 1710; acknowledges the magnificent contribution that both the church and schools have made to the development of the historic market town of Romford over six centuries; further congratulates The Reverend Stephen Waine, the Vicar, of St Edward's Church, Petula Allen, the Headteacher of St Edward's Church of England Primary School and The Reverend Alan Perry, the Headteacher of St Edward's Church of England Comprehensive School and Sixth Form College for the organisation of the splendid celebrations that have taken place to mark these anniversaries in 2010, including a wonderful Service of Thanksgiving at Westminster Abbey on 3 February and a visit to Romford by the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Right hon. Dr Rowen Williams on 9 March; expresses thanks to all staff members of both schools, past and present for their work in equipping so many generations with the skills and knowledge they needed to succeed in life; and warmly commends the Church of St Edward the Confessor in succeeding in its original aim of providing the highest standard of education according to the principles and practices of the Church of England.","date":"2010-03-29","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"40783","proposer":"10857","edm":"1141","session":"2009-10","title":"King's Park Primary School","text":"That this House congratulates King's Park Primary School, Newtownabbey, on reaching its 50th anniversary; celebrates the friendly and caring ethos of the school and its strong and enduring links with the local community; acknowledges the tremendous contribution that has been made down the years by the teaching staff and the enthusiastic support and encouragement of parents; notes the wide and varied range of subjects and activities open to all the children who attend; and wishes the Principal, Mr Len Johnston, all his staff, and the parents and pupils many more years of success in the future.","date":"2010-03-22","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"40740","proposer":"10248","edm":"1105","session":"2009-10","title":"Albanian Language Teaching","text":"That this House commends the work of Albanian societies in the United Kingdom for organising teaching of the Albanian language; notes that the Asset Languages Scheme is a voluntary assessment scheme for the language ladder introduced by the Department for Children, Schools and Families and provides accreditation for the skills of language learners of all ages and abilities from primary through to further, higher and adult education; calls on the Department and the contractor who run the scheme Cambridge Assessment to consider adding the Albanian language to the Asset Language programme; and urges the five examination boards AQA, CCEA, Edexcel, OCR and WJEC to consider carefully the case for adding Albanian to the list of languages which can be studied to GCSE level.","date":"2010-03-16","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"40750","proposer":"10492","edm":"1115","session":"2009-10","title":"For-Profit State Schools","text":"That this House is alarmed by proposals of edubusinesses to run state schools for profit along the lines of the Swedish system supported by the Conservative Party; and while recognising the important role business can play in supporting schools, deplores the notion that the educational needs of present and future generations should be exploited for profit by companies, organisations or individuals.","date":"2010-03-16","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"40686","proposer":"10193","edm":"1054","session":"2009-10","title":"Correction By The Right Hon Member For Normanton","text":"That this House notes that following remarks made by the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, the right hon. Member for Normanton in Oral Questions in the House on 8 March 2010, Official Report, column 6, where he contested figures provided by the hon. Member for Surrey Heath, concerning the number of students entitled to free school meals being admitted to the universities of Oxford and Cambridge, the right hon. Member in a letter dated 9 March 2010 to the hon. Member now says that `following our exchange in the House yesterday I have had an opportunity to look in detail at the figures you quoted and I can confirm that they are, on this occasion, correct'.","date":"2010-03-10","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"40595","proposer":"11784","edm":"975","session":"2009-10","title":"Asbestos In Schools (No. 2)","text":"That this House is concerned by the recent report of the Asbestos Training and Consultancy Association, which highlights systemic failings in the management of asbestos in schools; notes with alarm that around 75 per cent. of schools contain this potentially deadly substance; further notes that at least 178 school teachers have died from the fatal disease mesothelioma, which is contracted from asbestos; welcomes the decision by the Department for Children, Schools and Families to set up a steering group to examine all aspects of risk, management and training for asbestos in schools; and calls on the Government to take further steps to tackle this problem and to ensure that adequate guidance and training is in place for the protection of staff and pupils.","date":"2010-03-02","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"40608","proposer":"10521","edm":"988","session":"2009-10","title":"Fitness Of Children","text":"That this House welcomes a study by the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Essex which showed that children who are driven to school have the lowest levels of physical fitness, being less fit than walkers, cyclists and children who took the bus; notes in particular that in the age group 10 to 16 years, research showed that boys who walked to school were 20 per cent. more likely to be fit compared with those using motorised transport and that for girls the figure was 30 per cent.; further notes that boys who cycled to school were found to be 30 per cent. fitter, while female cyclists were seven times more likely to reach the minimum fitness standard than girls who were driven to school; congratulates Dr Gavin Sandercock and Christine Voss for the research involving 6,000 pupils in the East of England; and calls on the Government to encourage schools to promote cycling and walking as a means of raising fitness levels amongst pupils, with particular emphasis on providing safe cycling routes.","date":"2010-03-02","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"40507","proposer":"11522","edm":"898","session":"2009-10","title":"Education In England And Wales","text":"That this House believes that responsibility for education in England and Wales should not be passed to the French government.","date":"2010-02-23","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"40523","proposer":"10295","edm":"914","session":"2009-10","title":"Free Smart Meters For Schools","text":"That this House welcomes the free smart meters for schools scheme announced by the Department for Children, Schools and Families; notes that the initiative unites schools in the Government's fight against climate change, whilst allowing them to save money; commends the Government's recognition of the dual requirement to tackle current emission levels and educate the next generation on the importance of monitoring energy use; urges all hon. Members to promote the scheme throughout their constituencies; and looks forward to the future of an energy-conscious generation.","date":"2010-02-23","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"40457","proposer":"11672","edm":"857","session":"2009-10","title":"School Closures In Severe Weather Conditions","text":"That this House condemns the current rule which states that if schools stay open in snowy weather and children do not attend then the absence is classed as unauthorised, but if the school remains closed then no absences are recorded; notes that this procedure deters schools from staying open in poor weather conditions; recognises that such closure sets a poor example to children as to protocol in unusual weather conditions; and calls on the Government to support a review of current policy on the closure of schools in extreme weather conditions so that schools and their staff who work hard to keep schools open are not penalised for doing so.","date":"2010-02-10","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"40444","proposer":"10619","edm":"844","session":"2009-10","title":"Free School Meals Pilot For Stoke-On-trent","text":"That this House welcomes the introduction of new pilot schemes for universal free school meals in schools; believes that universal free school meals have a positive effect on the health and educational attainment of pupils; notes that 26 per cent. of primary school children in Stoke-on-Trent are already eligible for free school meals; understands that many of those eligible do not currently take up free school meals; and calls on the Government to work with Stoke-on-Trent City Council and the free school meal campaigners in the city to build on the healthy eating agenda already underway in Stoke-on-Trent to establish a free school meals pilot there.","date":"2010-02-09","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"40412","proposer":"10487","edm":"812","session":"2009-10","title":"Pendle Boarding School For Girls (No. 2)","text":"That this House notes with approval that plans for a 5,000 place boarding school for Muslim girls at Brierfield Mills have been blocked by the Charity Commission, which has ruled that it is not within the charitable objects of the Birmingham-based Islamic Help to raise money for such a purpose; is reminded that the charity's focus is disaster relief; further notes that Islamic Help has been ordered to return the money raised from its appeal for funds to all those who donated and expects this to be reported prominently on its website; is informed that donations made anonymously will go into a special pot which cannot be used for another purpose without the express permission of the Charity Commission; notes that the fundraising appeal has now been removed from Islamic Help's website; further notes with incredulity the explanation from the charity that the \u00a310,000 reportedly raised by the appeal to date has not been applied in furtherance of the boarding school project; believes that \u00a3650,000 of the \u00a31,020,000 plus value added tax purchase price came in the form of a loan from Lloyds TSB with the balance allegedly coming from pledges and backdated gift aid; and calls for a full audit of the finances of Islamic Help and the continued involvement of the Charity Commission in its supervision and oversight.","date":"2010-02-08","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"40388","proposer":"10465","edm":"789","session":"2009-10","title":"Powys Schools","text":"That this House notes the forthcoming consultation on the future of secondary school and sixth form provision in Powys; and calls on the officers and councillors of Powys County Council to seek a strategic solution which preserves the outstanding contribution of the existing schools and sixth forms without closing these facilities, while funding creative approaches to fulfil the financial and educational challenges facing Powys.","date":"2010-02-03","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"40338","proposer":"11427","edm":"746","session":"2009-10","title":"Integrated Education In Northern Ireland","text":"That this House recognises that sustainable power-sharing in Northern Ireland would be massively enhanced with greater moves to bringing Catholics and Protestants together in daily life, especially in housing and education; further recognises that these two communities are deeply segregated from each other; notes that only six per cent. of children attend integrated schools which seek to promote mutual understanding; and urges policy-makers to make increasing the size of the integrated education sector a far greater priority.","date":"2010-01-28","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"40274","proposer":"10080","edm":"686","session":"2009-10","title":"Greenwich Judgment And School Admission Policy","text":"That this House notes that successive Government's have rejected calls for a change in the law to reverse the effect of the Greenwich judgment on the operation of local school admission policy; is concerned that as a result of the court judgment admission authorities are not allowed to take into account administrative boundaries when allocating school places; believes that parents and children living in a local authority area should be able to expect to obtain a place at a local school in that area; and calls on the Government either to bring forward its own legislation to grant local admission authorities the discretion to give priority to the school preferences of parents resident within the local authority area or to support provisions of the hon. Member for Sutton and Cheam's Fair Access to School (Admissions) Bill.","date":"2010-01-21","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"40257","proposer":"11093","edm":"668","session":"2009-10","title":"Elizabethan High School Retford And The Massambeh Project, The Gambia","text":"That this House congratulates the committee of students from the Elizabethan High School in Retford who received the Diana Princess of Wales' award for group excellence on 15 December 2009; applauds the students' efforts in raising funds to build a primary classroom block in the rural village of Massambeh, The Gambia, as well as to provide the school with supplies, football shirts and all the resources needed to offer as good an education as possible; notes that The Gambia does not currently offer any education provision for the under-sevens and only limited provision for the over-sevens; further notes that Massambeh is several hours up country and beyond the reach of regular communications and basic utilities; and wishes the students well in their future endeavours to assist the village school.","date":"2010-01-20","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"40261","proposer":"11406","edm":"672","session":"2009-10","title":"Foreign Language Teaching At Gcse","text":"That this House is concerned that the number of state school children taking languages at GCSE has dropped by a third in seven years to just 362,500 in the summer of 2009; notes that at 31 state secondary schools last year not a single student passed a foreign language GCSE; believes that some schools, particularly in deprived areas, have reduced language teaching in favour of easier subjects in order to improve league table scores; further notes that many companies demand competency in at least one foreign language as a condition of employment; further believes that, as a result, children in deprived areas are placed at a disadvantage; welcomes the Government's plan to introduce compulsory foreign language education for seven to 11 year olds in 2011; and calls on the Government to reverse its decision in 2004 to make the study of foreign languages optional from the age of 14 years onwards.","date":"2010-01-20","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"40262","proposer":"10295","edm":"673","session":"2009-10","title":"Gcse Achievements Of Schools In Chorley","text":"That this House congratulates Albany Science College and Rivington and Blackrod High School for ranking amongst the top-performing schools in secondary Key Stage 4 in 2009; notes that Albany Science College is amongst the top-performing schools nationally, based on the Key Stage 2 to 4 Contextual Value Added measure, and that Rivington and Blackrod High School is amongst the top schools based on sustained improvement in the achievement of five or more GCSEs including mathematics and science; commends the hard work and dedication by the teaching and support staff and the determination of the pupils at both schools; further notes that nationally secondary school results have improved every year since 1997, with the results for 2009 showing the largest annual increase in the number of pupils achieving five or more GCSEs; and calls on the Government to continue to invest in secondary education.","date":"2010-01-20","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"40205","proposer":"10614","edm":"621","session":"2009-10","title":"Gcse Results In Leicester Schools","text":"That this House commends the above national average improvement in GCSE results in Leicester schools; recognises the hard work and contribution of Leicester City Council and the schools concerned, particularly Hamilton Community College, St Paul's Catholic School, Rushey Mead Secondary School and Soar Valley Community College, who have invested in providing innovative initiatives and support to young students; notes that 44.4 per cent. of 16 year olds achieved the Government's benchmark of five GCSEs of at least a grade C, including English and mathematics, compared with 39.9 per cent. in 2008; and urges the Government to join him in congratulating the sustained improvement in schools and to continue to invest in secondary schools.","date":"2010-01-18","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"40209","proposer":"10480","edm":"625","session":"2009-10","title":"Civic Education","text":"That this House recognises the importance of civic education as part of the national curriculum; is concerned at the level of disengagement from the political process on the part of many young people; believes that there is an urgent need to help young people develop their understanding of the political and democratic process and of the opportunities for public participation and to exercise the rights and responsibilities of citizenship; and calls on the Government further to develop civic education by promoting lessons specifically designed to provide better understanding on the part of young people of the opportunities to participate in and shape the political process.","date":"2010-01-18","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"40199","proposer":"10080","edm":"619","session":"2009-10","title":"Funding Of Primary School Places","text":"That this House notes there were 29.4 per cent. more births in Sutton in 2007-08 than in 2000-01, which represents about 300 children per year; further notes that the increase in demand for reception places in Sutton will peak at nine forms of entry above the borough's present capacity by 2012; congratulates Sutton Council for taking steps to provide additional classes to meet increasing demand at reception and actively planning to add further permanent capacity to meet the initial surge in demand over the period 2011 to 2014; regrets the fact that the council received no allocation from the first round of Basic Need Safety Valve Grants; and calls on the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families to review the council's case for additional capital funds and to make them available to ensure that Sutton children receive a fair deal.","date":"2010-01-14","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"40121","proposer":"11672","edm":"543","session":"2009-10","title":"St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Otley","text":"That this House congratulates St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Otley, on the occasion of its 40th anniversary; praises the valuable work St Joseph's does in the local community; celebrates the work of the teachers in continuing to get excellent Ofsted reports; and wishes the school many years of continuing success.","date":"2010-01-06","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"40089","proposer":"10074","edm":"516","session":"2009-10","title":"Global Learning Charter","text":"That this House welcomes the launch of Development Education Association's Global Learning Charter, signed by a wide coalition of organisations supporting learning that offers citizens an understanding of global issues and the capabilities to create a more just and sustainable world; is concerned by reports that indicate 93 per cent. of school-age children feel it is important to learn about these issues at school but that 63 per cent. of them feel they do not learn enough about the wider world; further recognises that we live in an interdependent and globalised world, collectively facing a range of challenges including inequality and poverty, climate change and racial and religious intolerance; believes that through the power and creativity of an engaged public these challenges can be met; calls on the Government, business and the third sector to help promote leadership and innovation on global learning; and urges the Government to support UK citizens to learn about global issues and their interdependence in order to promote justice and sustainability.","date":"2009-12-16","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"40047","proposer":"10521","edm":"475","session":"2009-10","title":"Academy Schools Examination Results","text":"That this House notes that a report from the think-tank Civitas states that some academy schools boost exam results by concentrating on vocational courses at the expense of academic subjects, specifically that geography, history, single sciences and modern languages are disappearing at GCSE level in some in favour of qualifications such as computer studies, general science or sport; believes that the Civitas report puts into perspective the claims that GCSE results at academies are improving at twice the national average rate; and calls on the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families to undertake a thorough investigation of the curriculum provided at academy schools to ensure that it fully complies with the national curriculum.","date":"2009-12-15","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"40051","proposer":"10080","edm":"479","session":"2009-10","title":"Safer Journeys To School","text":"That this House congratulates Team ASAP for the research project that they undertook as part of the First Lego League Competition; thanks the team's coaches for their voluntary effort; notes that the team conducted interviews with representatives of the emergency services to identify the causes of accidents involving young people; further notes the team's conclusion that high visibility clothing would cut the number of accidents; and calls on the Departments for Children, Schools and Families and for Transport to review the guidance to schools on uniform and include advice on the incorporation of high visibility materials.","date":"2009-12-15","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"40031","proposer":"11245","edm":"461","session":"2009-10","title":"Asbestos In Schools","text":"That this House is concerned that the Government will not publish responses or names of the local authorities which failed to respond to the Department for Children, Schools and Families' survey asking for information on whether school buildings have asbestos-containing materials; believes it is unacceptable that the public are not aware of the names of the local authorities that have failed to reply to the Government's asbestos survey or are being investigated by the Department; and therefore calls on the Government to make public the full results of the survey, including all local authority responses or refusals to respond, without further delay.","date":"2009-12-14","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"39997","proposer":"10084","edm":"429","session":"2009-10","title":"Personal Finance Education Group And Personal Finance Education","text":"That this House recognises the work of the Personal Finance Education Group in delivering personal finance education to children and young people, and the importance of personal finance education in schools in the current economic climate; acknowledges that for future generations to be financially responsible adults, school-age children must be equipped with the financial know-how to analyse, challenge and question money matters and make reasoned financial decisions; and notes that money management skills are essential in empowering individuals to take charge of their lives and aspirations and to positively influence psychological well-being.","date":"2009-12-10","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"39973","proposer":"10355","edm":"409","session":"2009-10","title":"Home Education And The Badman Review","text":"That this House acknowledges and celebrates the hard work of the many home educators in Britain who teach their children to an exceptionally high standard; recognises the excellent value they represent to the Government; notes with concern the conflation of welfare concerns with education issues in Government statements on home education; further notes with concern the recommendations of the Badman Review which suggest closer monitoring of home educators, including a compulsory annual registration scheme and right of access to people's homes for local authority officials; and calls on the Government to focus on its own ability to fulfil the Every Child Matters objectives rather than undermine the independence and integrity of home educators by enforcing the Badman recommendations.","date":"2009-12-09","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"39985","proposer":"10039","edm":"421","session":"2009-10","title":"St Monica's Catholic Primary School, Bootle","text":"That this House congratulates the pupils, staff and parents of St Monica's Catholic Primary School, Bootle, for its inclusion in the recent Ofsted report `Twenty outstanding primary schools - Excelling against the odds'; notes that St Monica's School and the Bootle community deserve this accolade; and endorses the comment by Ofsted that the school is an exemplar of outstanding practice for all 23,000 schools across the country to aspire to.","date":"2009-12-09","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"39842","proposer":"10534","edm":"282","session":"2009-10","title":"National Science And Engineering Competition","text":"That this House welcomes the high quality of entries for the National Science and Engineering Competition, which closed on 30 October 2009; applauds the innovation, imagination and understanding of all the young people who entered the competition; appreciates the dedication of teachers in inspiring these young people; looks forward to The Big Bang: UK Young Scientists' and Engineers' Fair in Manchester on 11 to 13 March 2010 which will include the finals of the competition; and welcomes the continuing support of hon. Members from across the House for science, technology, engineering and mathematics.","date":"2009-11-30","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"39541","proposer":"10521","edm":"4","session":"2009-10","title":"Learning Outside The Classroom","text":"That this House notes the conclusion of an Ofsted report that learning outside the classroom contributes significantly to raising standards; recognises that learning through experience is a powerful educational tool; applauds the work put into the Manifesto for Learning Outside the Classroom; regrets that despite this work, its aspiration to provide all young people with a wide range of quality experiences outside the classroom, including one or more residential visits, is not yet embedded in all schools; and calls on the Government to find a way of making this a reality for all young people, including those who need financial support.","date":"2009-11-18","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"39543","proposer":"10521","edm":"6","session":"2009-10","title":"First Aid Education In Schools","text":"That this House welcomes the British Red Cross report, Life. Live It, on first aid in schools and the launch of its first aid education resource for teachers; notes that every year there are three million attendances at hospitals across the United Kingdom in cases where first aid skills could help; shares the view that in many health emergencies, interventions in the first few minutes, before the emergency services arrive, can make a crucial difference to the outcome of the casualty; believes that people in the UK should have basic first aid knowledge; further notes the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority consultation on the curriculum in secondary schools; and requests the Government to consider ways of promoting first aid education in schools.","date":"2009-11-18","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"39591","proposer":"10527","edm":"54","session":"2009-10","title":"Personalised Learning And Class Sizes","text":"That this House welcomes the Government's commitment to personalised learning for primary school children; notes with concern that many Key Stage 1 pupils are still taught in classes with 25 to 30 pupils; recognises the benefits of being in classes under 20 in size; and calls on the Government to change its spending priorities to reduce Key Stage 1 classes to under 20.","date":"2009-11-18","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"39455","proposer":"11427","edm":"2195","session":"2008-09","title":"Blaydon West Primary School","text":"That this House joins Blaydon West Primary School in marking its centenary; recognises the dedication and commitment of pupils, staff, parents and governors, including Head Teacher Paula Bailey and her colleagues; welcomes the school's achievements, including many prominent awards; notes that the centenary celebrations include a community Edwardian Fayre with singing and dancing across the decades as well as a Geordie evening; acknowledges the school's involvement in several community-based initiatives; urges them to continue to develop their links with Hernan Cortes Primary School in Talavera, Spain; and wishes the children of Blaydon all the best for the future.","date":"2009-10-29","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"39369","proposer":"10105","edm":"2135","session":"2008-09","title":"British Safety Council Work With Young People","text":"That this House applauds the work of the British Safety Council with 14 to 19 year olds in full-time education; and recognises its enormous effort over the last two years in helping 40,000 young people to gain an accredited health and safety qualification and in consequence raising their awareness of workplace dangers before they embark on work experience or their first job.","date":"2009-10-21","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"39288","proposer":"11672","edm":"2060","session":"2008-09","title":"St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Otley","text":"That this House congratulates St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Otley, on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of its opening by Bishop Gordon Wheeler on its present site; praises the valuable work St Joseph's does in the local community, such as contributing time to raising money for charities including Catholic Care, the Catholic Agency for Overseas Development and Christian Aid; praises the recent support given by teachers and pupils to the children's ward of Leeds General Infirmary; celebrates the contribution of headteachers, teachers, other staff and all pupils during the last 40 years; and wishes the school many years of continuing success.","date":"2009-10-15","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"39291","proposer":"10619","edm":"2064","session":"2008-09","title":"Endon High School Climate Cops","text":"That this House congratulates Endon High School on reaching the final round of the N-Power Climate Cops SOS competition at a time when local community responses to the challenges of climate change are increasingly necessary; fully supports Endon High School's goal of establishing a cycle path along the Stoke-on-Trent to Endon stretch of the disused railway line that is safe for pedestrians and which would link to the Sustrans national cycle network; notes that the day on which Endon High School was finalising its campaign, an announcement was made that the disused railway track has been purchased by Moorlands and City Railways Ltd with a view to reopening the railway line; and urges all local and national partners including Network Rail, Staffordshire County Council, Advantage West Midlands, Staffordshire Moorlands District Council, Sustrans, North Staffordshire Regeneration Partnership, and the North Staffordshire Chamber of Commerce urgently to back Endon High School by ensuring a feasibility study is jointly undertaken into a cycle and pedestrian track to co-exist with the planned railway line in the interests of sustainable tourism in North Staffordshire.","date":"2009-10-15","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"39295","proposer":"11427","edm":"2068","session":"2008-09","title":"Sophie Atay Appeal","text":"That this House supports Whickham School's 2009 annual charity week, led by co-chairs Jess Emmerson and Sarah Bilton and vice-chairs Lucy Zwolinska and Andrew Gallagher which aims to raise money for the Sophie Atay Appeal; notes that two year old Sophie has been diagnosed at a high risk stage of a rare and aggressive form of cancer called Neuroblastoma; further notes that this cancer has survival rates as low as 20 per cent.; that her family have found a hospital in New York where the chances of survival could soar to between 80 and 90 per cent.; applauds the students' initiative in devising a wide variety of fundraising ideas including a Sing for Sophie battle of the bands, tuck shops, car washes, t-shirt sales, a curry night and an X-Factor style competition running with special guest Big Brother's Charlie Drummond judging the final; and wishes all those involved great success in raising money for this vital cause.","date":"2009-10-15","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"39249","proposer":"11427","edm":"2020","session":"2008-09","title":"Whickham Front Street Primary School","text":"That this House congratulates Whickham Front Street Primary School in Blaydon constituency on celebrating its centenary year; acknowledges the hard work and commitment of pupils, staff, parents and governors over the last 100 years; commends Head Teacher Paul Sergison and all of his team; records the school's achievements, including the basketball team winning the national championships; praises the wide range of centenary celebrations, including traditional `Geordie' singing and clog dancing, and the designing of a mural; further acknowledges the wide range of community-based initiatives that the school is engaged in; encourages them further to develop their international links with the Nomi Elementary School in the Japanese city of Komatsu; and hopes the young people in Whickham will succeed for generations to come.","date":"2009-10-13","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"39117","proposer":"10465","edm":"1895","session":"2008-09","title":"Impact Of Rarely Cover Guidance On School Trips","text":"That this House notes with concern the threat that the Rarely Cover guidance poses to learning outside the classroom; highlights the fact that many schools are cancelling school trips citing concerns over the application of the Rarely Cover guidance; notes that as a consequence the guidance is contradictory in its aim to facilitate the continuation of educationally valuable visits or trips; further notes the value of educational trips to children's personal development and learning of life skills; and calls on the Government to provide clarification on the guidance to ensure that the negative impact on school trips is minimised.","date":"2009-07-15","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"39083","proposer":"10655","edm":"1863","session":"2008-09","title":"Burston School Strike","text":"That this House notes that 2009 is the 70th anniversary of the end of the longest strike in history, the Burston School strike of 1914 to 1939; acknowledges the historic significance of the reasons behind the strike carried out by Tom and Kitty Higdon; recognises the commitment of the teaching profession throughout the years to ensure that all young people are afforded a good education; and calls on the Government to consider a memorial commemorating the stand that the Higdons, their pupils and their parents made in 1914.","date":"2009-07-13","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"38984","proposer":"11923","edm":"1784","session":"2008-09","title":"Home Education","text":"That this House recognises that an estimated 45,000 to 150,000 children are educated at home; believes that parents should be allowed and supported to home educate; notes with concern the proposals put forward in the recent Badman Review; expresses particular concern at the lack of consultation involved in conducting the review; considers it unacceptable that local authorities are able to circumvent their responsibilities to pupils who are being home educated; accepts the need for a system of support to ensure that home educated children receive a good quality of education without creating an excessive and damaging degree of bureaucracy; and calls on the Government to strike the right balance between allowing parents the freedom to give their children the widest possible educational opportunities and ensuring that all children receive a well-rounded education.","date":"2009-07-01","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"38985","proposer":"10884","edm":"1785","session":"2008-09","title":"Home Education And The Badman Review","text":"That this House acknowledges and celebrates the hard work of the many home educators in Britain who teach their children to an exceptionally high standard; recognises the excellent value they represent to the Government; notes with concern the conflation of welfare concerns with education issues in Government statements on home education; further notes with concern the recommendations of the Badman Review which suggest closer monitoring of home educators, including a compulsory annual registration scheme and right of access to people's homes for local authority officials; and calls on the Government to focus on its own ability to fulfil the Every Child Matters objectives rather than undermine the independence and integrity of home educators by enforcing the Badman recommendations.","date":"2009-07-01","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"38979","proposer":"10267","edm":"1779","session":"2008-09","title":"Education (S.i., 2009, No. 1556)","text":"That an humble Address be presented to Her Majesty, praying that the School Organisation and Governance (Amendment) (England) Regulations 2009 (S.I., 2009, No. 1556), dated 23 June 2009, a copy of which was laid before this House on 30 June, be annulled.","date":"2009-06-30","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"38957","proposer":"10346","edm":"1758","session":"2008-09","title":"Religious Education","text":"That this House believes that fair and balanced education about religious and non-religious beliefs should be a part of the school curriculum and that it is important that such a subject be broad, objective and balanced; notes that the new draft guidance on religious education (RE) published by the Department for Children, Schools and Families contributes little to the evolution of the subject and fails to address any of the concerns surrounding the subject of RE; further believes that the current statute law on religious education is no longer fit for purpose in terms of the content and the mechanism of deciding on syllabuses it prescribes; and calls on the Government to commission a Government or independent review of the primary legislation on RE with a view to reforming the law on RE.","date":"2009-06-29","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"38968","proposer":"10428","edm":"1769","session":"2008-09","title":"Carbon Trust Energy Savings Campaign","text":"That this House is aware of the Carbon Trust, an independent company established by Government in 2001 in response to the threat of climate change to help businesses and service providers to accelerate the move towards a low carbon economy to help reduce carbon emissions and to develop commercial low carbon technologies; is also aware that so far the Trust has worked with more than 700 secondary schools and further education colleges across the nation which have already identified energy savings of around 16 million and carbon emission savings of 119,000 tonnes annually; welcomes the Trust's fresh campaign to encourage all head teachers and college administrators in England and Wales to realise potential energy savings in their schools and colleges, whilst at the same time helping to tackle global warming; believes such a strategy should be supported by all education authorities; and calls on the Government to do all it can to help deliver such a sensible and worthwhile strategy.","date":"2009-06-29","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"38951","proposer":"10437","edm":"1752","session":"2008-09","title":"Manor Green Primary School","text":"That this House commends the work of David Reid, Head Teacher of Manor Green Primary School in Crawley, West Sussex on leading his staff, pupils and parents in achieving an outstanding Ofsted report, putting Manor Green Primary School in the top 10 per cent. of schools nationally and making it the first special school in West Sussex to achieve an outstanding grade; congratulates David Reid and his staff on securing a Gold Arts Mark for Manor Green Primary School; and notes that these achievements are reflected in David Reid winning the National Centre for School Leadership's South East Primary Head Teacher of the Year 2008; further notes that David Reid's work and commitment to students, staff and parents has seen Manor Green Primary School go from strength to strength and provide a truly excellent education for children with special needs in Crawley.","date":"2009-06-25","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"38903","proposer":"11427","edm":"1710","session":"2008-09","title":"Greenside Primary School","text":"That this House congratulates Greenside Primary School in Blaydon constituency on celebrating its centenary this year; acknowledges the hard work and commitment of pupils, staff, parents and governors over the last 100 years; commends the school's progress under the leadership of head teacher Dawn Foster and the hard work of governors, pupils and staff; records the school's celebration events throughout the month of June including a balloon launch, a birthday cake, a family visit to Beamish museum, a centenary show, a garden party and a school fair; and hopes the school will thrive for young people in Greenside for generations to come.","date":"2009-06-19","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"38882","proposer":"10641","edm":"1691","session":"2008-09","title":"Outdoor Learning","text":"That this House notes with concern that the number of school students choosing to study physical science subjects post-16 has fallen over the last 25 years; recognises the significant contribution that outdoor learning makes to increasing students' enthusiasm for science and helping them on their way to becoming the new scientists of the future; notes with concern that there are currently a number of barriers to improving fieldwork, including Initial Teacher Training which is not working effectively enough to help produce sufficient numbers of high quality teachers with confidence, competence and commitment to teach outdoor science to the next generation of children and young people; further notes with concern that Qualified Teacher Status standard 30 only requires that trainee teachers should be able to identify opportunities for out-of-school learning, with no requirement for trainees to plan, organise, take part in, and lead outdoor learning activities; congratulates the Field Studies Council (FSC), an environmental education charity committed to helping people understand and be inspired by the natural world, on its campaign to improve teacher training; and calls on the Department for Children, Schools and Families to support the FSC's campaign to introduce minimum standards in Initial Teacher Training and urgently to review Qualified Teacher Status standard 30.","date":"2009-06-17","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"38859","proposer":"10586","edm":"1647A1","session":"2008-09","title":"Recycling In Schools","text":"leave out `for free' and insert `free of charge'.","date":"2009-06-15","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"38832","proposer":"11494","edm":"1647","session":"2008-09","title":"Recycling In Schools","text":"That this House notes the important role recycling has in the sustainable use of resources and in protecting the environment; further notes that, according to the Waste Resources and Action Programme (WRAP), 78 per cent. of schools' waste could be easily recycled or composted; further notes the Department for Children, Schools and Families target to ensure that all schools are sustainable schools by 2020; is concerned that the financial implications of facilitating recycling mean straining school resources and often deterring schools from recycling at all; is further concerned by a UK Youth Parliament survey which found that 73 per cent. of councils do not provide a full recycling service for schools for free, that a third of local authorities classify schools' recycling waste as trade waste, despite Government recommendations, and that many councils that do offer the service said they may need to start charging in the future; supports the UK Youth Parliament campaign to make recycling in schools free and compulsory; and believes that recycling in schools is something local authorities need to prioritise as a necessary cost and work in partnership with schools to provide free recycling facilities and collections.","date":"2009-06-11","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"38835","proposer":"10096","edm":"1650","session":"2008-09","title":"Llanmorlais Primary School","text":"That this House deplores the decision of Liberal Democrat-led Swansea Council to seek to close Llanmorlais Primary School in north Gower; recognises that the quality of educational experience provided at Llanmorlais is outstanding; acknowledges the vital role the school plays in maintaining community cohesion in the villages of Llanmorlais, Crofty and Wernffrwd; congratulates the parent-led Llanmorlais Primary Action Group for its informed and imaginative campaign to retain their school; believes that this has demonstrated that there is no educational rationale for the council's proposals which is solely aimed at saving money; and wishes parents, teachers, pupils and other villagers eventual success in their just fight to save this excellent school.","date":"2009-06-11","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"38841","proposer":"10218","edm":"1656","session":"2008-09","title":"Educational Provision In Tower Hamlets","text":"That this House notes that Tower Hamlets College is planning to make 40 full-time lecturers redundant and cut classes including 1,500 places on English for Speakers of Other Languages courses; further notes that lifelong learning courses are threatened at the Bethnal Green Centre; further notes that hundreds of redundancies are threatened at London Metropolitan University with departments being closed and a threatened reduction in some 11,000 places for students; further notes that teachers at St Paul's Way secondary school in Tower Hamlets are also being threatened with redundancies, with a narrowing of the curriculum and loss of support for pupils in need; believes that these attacks represent a disaster for education in East London and are the last thing needed in the context of difficult economic conditions; and calls on the responsible authorities to reconsider these cuts as a matter of urgency and engage in meaningful negotiations with the relevant trade unions and student union representatives to stop these cuts taking place.","date":"2009-06-11","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"38636","proposer":"10641","edm":"1468","session":"2008-09","title":"British Physics Olympiad","text":"That this House congratulates all of the competitors in the 2009 British Physics Olympiad (BPhO) and hopes that those selected to travel to Mexico to compete in the International Olympiad are able to do so safely; praises the BPhO's excellent efforts in inspiring young people to further study in physics; recognises the importance of these efforts at a time when six out of 10 science, technology, engineering and mathematics employers state that they are having difficulty recruiting; regrets that the Department for Children, Schools and Families has decided to discontinue funding for the UK team to travel to the international competition; and calls on the Government to reinstate this funding.","date":"2009-05-12","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"38612","proposer":"11036","edm":"1447","session":"2008-09","title":"School Report Cards","text":"That this House would welcome the introduction of school report cards provided that they give a broader and more meaningful assessment of school performance and quality; awaits the publication of the Government's White Paper on report cards later this year; welcomes the decision to abolish compulsory national curriculum tests at Key Stage 3; and believes Key Stage 2 tests are an important accountability measure but should be reformed and slimmed down with more teacher assessment coupled with external moderation to ensure high standards are maintained.","date":"2009-05-07","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"38560","proposer":"10614","edm":"1399","session":"2008-09","title":"Racist Bullying In Schools","text":"That this House notes with concern the Teachers TV survey of education employees which found that 55.1 per cent. of respondents are aware of racist bullying in their school; further notes with alarm that 68.3 per cent. of respondents commented that their school does not have a strategy to help combat racist bullying; commends the work of the Anti-Bullying Alliance in attempting to counter bullying of all kinds; applauds the makers of Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks for drawing public attention to this important issue; and calls on the Government to provide sufficient resources to help ensure that schools successfully implement comprehensive strategies against racist bullying.","date":"2009-04-30","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"38540","proposer":"11245","edm":"1381","session":"2008-09","title":"Acoustics In Schools","text":"That this House is deeply concerned that new schools are being built which do not comply with government standards on acoustics; notes that children suffering from deafness are much less likely to get five good GCSEs than hearing children; agrees with the National Deaf Children's Society that deafness is not a learning disability and that poor quality acoustics is one of several barriers preventing deaf children being able to achieve their full potential; and calls on the Government to require new schools to be tested for acoustics pre-completion, to monitor and review the quality of acoustics in schools annually, and to ensure that all schools adhere to acoustic standards.","date":"2009-04-28","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"38500","proposer":"10383","edm":"1345","session":"2008-09","title":"Lewisham Bridge Primary School","text":"That this House applauds the action taken by parents of children at the Lewisham Bridge Primary School who are occupying the school rooftop to express their anger at plans to close their school and build a new academy; notes that pupils' lives are being disrupted by being bussed to a temporary school in New Cross as a result of the project whilst Lewisham Bridge Primary School currently stands empty; and therefore urges Lewisham Council to halt plans to demolish the school and allow the pupils to return.","date":"2009-04-24","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"38405","proposer":"10147","edm":"1280","session":"2008-09","title":"Health Support In School","text":"That this House notes with considerable concern that the health of around a million children with specified health conditions, including asthma, cancer, coeliac disease, cystic fibrosis, diabetes, epilepsy, heart conditions, HIV, mental health problems, multiple sclerosis, sickle cell disease and conditions that can cause stroke, is put at risk because they are not receiving sufficient support at school; further notes that poor support at school stops children from fulfilling their potential; recognises that while guidance on medicines in schools remains voluntary, inequality of experience will continue; and acknowledges that by providing better support, children with medical needs will have improved health outcomes and reduce the financial burden on the NHS.","date":"2009-04-02","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"38379","proposer":"11783","edm":"1255","session":"2008-09","title":"Proximity Of Heathrow Airport To Schools","text":"That this House is concerned that the quality of education in schools close to Heathrow Airport is being compromised because children are denied full and proper development through outdoor learning due to noise from overhead flights; expresses deep concern that the Government is not adhering to its own manifesto, Learning out of the Classroom; calls on the Government to enshrine in law the right of children to educational outdoor space, a high standard of well-being and health as well as social and personal development; and further calls on the Government to ensure that such standards are enforced for schools in the proximity of Heathrow Airport before any approval for a third runway is granted.","date":"2009-04-01","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"38399","proposer":"11026","edm":"1234A1","session":"2008-09","title":"Speeding Near Schools","text":"at end add `which is enforced only immediately before, immediately after and during times when the school is in use.'.","date":"2009-04-01","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"38347","proposer":"11892","edm":"1225","session":"2008-09","title":"Waringstown Primary School","text":"That this House congratulates Waringstown Primary School on its recent success in winning the Songs of Praise School Choir of the Year competition for the second time; recognises the huge work and dedication of everyone involved with this victory; applauds the record of excellence demonstrated by Waringstown Primary School; and wishes it every success for the future.","date":"2009-03-31","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"38356","proposer":"10614","edm":"1234","session":"2008-09","title":"Speeding Near Schools","text":"That this House has serious concerns about the speeding of motorists, particularly in close proximity to schools; notes that between 2005 and 2007, the latest period for which figures are available, police officers attended 14,577 accidents in which someone was seriously injured and speeding was listed as a contributory factor; is alarmed that in 2007 speeding contributed to 727 deaths; welcomes the fact that the Government was forecast to spend \u00c2\u00a31,815,000 on television advertising to make people aware of the dangers and consequences of driving in excess of the speed limit in 2008-09; and calls on the Government to implement 20 mph speed limits in areas surrounding schools.","date":"2009-03-31","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"38325","proposer":"11784","edm":"1204","session":"2008-09","title":"Asbestos In Schools","text":"That this House welcomed the opportunity to debate the issue of asbestos in schools in Westminster Hall; notes the fatal effect that exposure to asbestos continues to have on pupils and teachers exposed to asbestos fibres in school buildings; further notes that the incidence of mesothelioma is rising, with the Association of Teachers and Lecturers citing at least 400 members of the teaching profession who have been exposed to asbestos, recognises that 75 per cent. of all schools across the country have asbestos present in one form or another; notes that in the United States of America and the Republic of Ireland clear policies have been adopted in relation to asbestos in school buildings; calls upon the Government to carry out a confidential national survey of schools, followed by funding from the Department of Children, Schools and Families for any school identified during the survey as needing remedial work; further calls on the Government to implement a policy of replacing all asbestos containing materials in schools as part of a national strategy with clear targets in order to provide safe environments for the nation's pupils to succeed; and welcomes the Government's concession that proper training needs to be provided to all head teachers and school managers regarding their current responsibilities in this area.","date":"2009-03-26","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"38306","proposer":"10190","edm":"1186","session":"2008-09","title":"CHILDREN'S EDUCATION AND THE NATIONAL CURRICULUM","text":"That this House is dismayed at proposals to include internet skills such as twitter and blogging in the national curriculum at the expense of traditional subjects including the study of the Second World War; recognises the significance and importance of ensuring that future generations understand the sacrifices that their grandparents and other relatives made during the War; believes that a vastly reduced history syllabus allowing schools to choose two periods of British history severely limits a child's understanding of the past and therefore the present; and calls on the Government to ensure that children are not taught a piecemeal history of this country.","date":"2009-03-25","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"38198","proposer":"10177","edm":"1089","session":"2008-09","title":"School Toilets And Drinking Water","text":"That this House regrets that the Government has decided not to update the Education (School Premises) Regulations 1999 with regards to the provision of school toilets and drinking water, due to concerns over increasing the burden of regulation; commends the provisions within the Building Schools for the Future guidelines on school toilets and drinking water as examples of good design for secondary schools; is disappointed that this programme does not apply to primary schools; is concerned that, without central guidance, local authorities will not be incentivised to invest in improved toilet and drinking facilities for primary schools; and emphasises the positive impact improved facilities can have on children's health and wellbeing.","date":"2009-03-13","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"38160","proposer":"10133","edm":"1056","session":"2008-09","title":"Islington Children","text":"That this House congratulates Islington Labour councillors in successfully amending the borough's budget for 2009-10 to enable all primary school children to receive free school meals; and believes that this constitutes a great commitment to children's health and shows proper priorities.","date":"2009-03-11","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"38106","proposer":"10525","edm":"1012","session":"2008-09","title":"BANFF AND BUCHAN SCHOOLS' ROCK CHALLENGE","text":"That this House congratulates Banff Academy, Fraserburgh Academy, Peterhead Academy and Turriff Academy on their award winning performances at the Aberdeen round of the Global Rock Challenge, a drug awareness and crime prevention programme in the form of a performing arts competition for secondary schools; and believes the competing pupils were a credit to their schools and their local communities.","date":"2009-03-09","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"38041","proposer":"10256","edm":"959","session":"2008-09","title":"Review Of Educational Assessment","text":"That this House notes the recommendations of the 2008 Policy Commission report on Learning Environments produced by the British Educational Suppliers Association; supports its recommendation for a far-reaching review of educational assessment; is aware of the important role of technology in making assessment rigorous, less mechanistic and more accessible; notes with concern that the timeframe of the current review of the Expert Group on Assessment Arrangements is too short and its scope too narrow; and calls on the Government to follow up with a substantial consultation on options and innovative opportunities for assessing school students.","date":"2009-03-03","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"37994","proposer":"10133","edm":"915","session":"2008-09","title":"Training And Development Agency","text":"That this House notes the failure of the Training and Development Agency for Schools (TDA) to assess the effect of its proposed relocation on its staff and customers particularly with regard to race, disability and gender; further notes the recently announced review of agencies whose work is intended to improve outcomes for children and families, including the TDA, and the predicted loss of at least 85 per cent. of the agency's existing expertise, putting at risk its ability to deliver the Government's aspirations for improving the skills of the children's workforce in schools; is concerned that the agency's stated intention of not paying compensation to staff whose circumstances make them unable to move to Manchester places them under undue pressure to fund comparable jobs in an already difficult London employment market; further notes the UK's changed economic situation since the Lyons review; and therefore calls for a review of the decision to relocate the TDA from London to Manchester.","date":"2009-02-26","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"37965","proposer":"11513","edm":"886","session":"2008-09","title":"Cornish Reading Wave Initiative","text":"That this House commends the right hon. Member for Sheffield, Hallam and the hon. Member for Yeovil for presenting plans to increase funding to Cornish schools by \u00c2\u00a322.1 million a year; notes the end of the National Year of Reading; welcomes Cornwall County Council's special initiative to keep momentum behind children's reading in a Cornish Reading Wave; further commends staff and students at Cornish schools for staging a series of competitions, poetry readings, story telling, book swaps, book reviews and drama projects as part of the Cornish Celebration of Reading; and believes that students' reading potential would be further improved if class sizes were cut in the infant years and funding followed the most disadvantaged pupils during their 5 to 19 education.","date":"2009-02-25","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"37941","proposer":"10028","edm":"864","session":"2008-09","title":"Send My Friend To School Campaign 2009","text":"That this House welcomes the launch of Send My Friend to School 2009 organised by the Global Campaign for Education; notes that on 22 April millions of people in over 100 countries will take part in The Big Read to highlight the importance of literacy; calls on world leaders to redouble their efforts to meet the promise made in 2000 that every child in the world would complete a quality education by 2015; notes that over 70 million children still do not get a chance to go to school; and urges the Government to live up to its spending commitments on education in developing countries to ensure that \u00c2\u00a31 billion per year is spent between 2010 and 2015, and that those countries furthest from achieving education for all by 2015 are prioritised for funding.","date":"2009-02-24","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"37944","proposer":"10100","edm":"867","session":"2008-09","title":"Testing Of Pupils At 11 Years And Social Mobility","text":"That this House welcomes the Government's White Paper, New Opportunities: Fair Chances for the Future and the recent report of the Independent Commission on Social Mobility commissioned by the Liberal Democrats; further welcomes the recognition by the Conservative Shadow Minister for Innovation, Universities and Skills that selective schools entrench privilege; notes the cross-party political consensus on the importance of equality of access to good schools in improving children's life chances; notes with concern, however, the extent of overt and covert selection still permitted by the School Admissions Code; notes the evidence linking selective school admission policies with growing social segregation; believes that public tests designed to fail the majority of children are incompatible with the spirit and purpose of the Every Child Matters agenda; further believes that the Government's arguments in support of the abolition of Key Stage 3 tests apply equally to Key Stage 2 tests; and therefore calls on the Government to announce its intention to end external KS2 tests and 11 plus tests, thus ensuring that no child starts their secondary school career publicly labelled as a failure.","date":"2009-02-24","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"37930","proposer":"11458","edm":"855","session":"2008-09","title":"Bristol Primary School Admissions","text":"That this House notes that over 300 families in the City of Bristol have not been offered a primary school place for September 2009 admission, with particular pressure in the wards of Ashley, Bishopston, Henleaze and Redland; recognises that this lamentable failure to carry out a basic duty by the current minority Labour administration of Bristol City Council has caused great worry and anxiety for parents and children; and further recognises that this has come about despite ample evidence and repeated warnings that demographic changes in the north west and central areas of the city necessitated an increase in the number of primary school places.","date":"2009-02-23","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"37861","proposer":"11641","edm":"799","session":"2008-09","title":"Single Level Testing","text":"That this House notes not only the practical debacle over SATS testing but also the negative effects on children; welcomes the scrapping of compulsory Key Stage 3 SATS tests; believes that the Government's proposals for single level testing will not solve the problem of over-testing; remains of the view that assessment is still necessary and important; further notes the recent petition on testing reform; and believes that there is a need to scale back further the cost and complexity of national testing, with more moderated teachers' assessment at age 11 years and more time for a richer and broader curriculum.","date":"2009-02-12","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"37868","proposer":"11522","edm":"806","session":"2008-09","title":"London Borough Of Sutton Schools Admissions","text":"That this House welcomes the discretion given by the Government guidelines on admissions criteria that allows for more residents outside the London Borough of Sutton to have access to places at Wallington High School for Girls and Nonsuch High School for Girls.","date":"2009-02-12","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"37800","proposer":"10521","edm":"745","session":"2008-09","title":"Ofsted Report On Making More Of Music","text":"That this House welcomes the report by Ofsted entitled Making More of Music; and calls on the Government to implement the findings, which will encourage greater use of music in schools and make it available to every child.","date":"2009-02-09","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"37738","proposer":"10198","edm":"685","session":"2008-09","title":"Assessment And Testing In Schools","text":"That this House notes the Government's attempt, through the School Report Card, to shift the emphasis from school league tables of test and examination results to more meaningful performance and accountability measures, but is concerned that the proposals may create even more unnecessary accountability burdens on schools; whilst welcoming the decision to abolish National Curriculum tests at Key Stage 3, believes it is incomprehensible that teacher assessment is deemed appropriate for secondary and not primary schools; and therefore calls on the Government to introduce a similar system to that in Wales by removing high stakes end of key stage tests at age seven and 11, replacing them with meaningful assessments which inform teaching and learning.","date":"2009-02-04","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"37612","proposer":"11036","edm":"578","session":"2008-09","title":"Capital Spending On Colleges","text":"That this House condemns the decision of the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) to halt approval of further capital expenditure by colleges pending a review; is concerned that this is already delaying capital expenditure at a time when the Government has promised to accelerate investment in order to offset the impacts of the current recession; calls on Ministers to take action to ensure that the LSC grants approval to the existing applications as a matter of urgency; and urges the Government to further increase capital investment in the schools and colleges sector to promote high quality projects and to help cushion the current deep downturn in the construction sector.","date":"2009-01-26","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"37557","proposer":"10346","edm":"530","session":"2008-09","title":"Accord Coalition","text":"That this House supports Accord, the national coalition that unites religious and non-religious individuals and organisations campaigning for inclusive schools; believes that all state schools should be open to children and teachers of all backgrounds and beliefs; is concerned that current legislation permits schools with a religious character to discriminate against staff and students on the basis of their religion or belief and to teach a partial religious education curriculum; calls for religious education to be objective, balanced and fair; welcomes the positive approach taken by Accord and the breadth of its membership; and urges the Government to remove exemptions from equalities legislation for state-funded religious schools.","date":"2009-01-21","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"37498","proposer":"11923","edm":"474","session":"2008-09","title":"Composting Permits And Charges","text":"That this House expresses concern at proposals within the Environmental Permitting Regulations which would charge schools to register for composting; recognises that the proposed \u00c2\u00a350 charge would serve as a deterrent for schools considering introducing composting; believes it would impact negatively on the environmental education of children in schools and undermine the Government's current efforts to encourage the public to dispose of their waste in an environmentally-friendly manner; and urges the Government to reverse its decision to charge a composting permit on anything which is outside the private individual's garden.","date":"2009-01-15","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"37451","proposer":"10442","edm":"431","session":"2008-09","title":"International Baccalaureate In Cardiff","text":"That this House is gravely concerned by proposals by the International Baccalaureate to move out of Cardiff to another city in Europe; notes it has been based in Wales for nearly two decades and at its headquarters in Cardiff Gate Business Park since 2001, which offers head office functions for the worldwide organisation and employs 330 highly-trained staff; notes there is no reason related to staff recruitment, quality or loyalty to justify such a move; and urges the board of the International Baccalaureate to reject proposals that will result in the disruption of such a successful organisation and the loss of 330 jobs in Cardiff.","date":"2009-01-13","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"37400","proposer":"10295","edm":"384","session":"2008-09","title":"Free Transport For School And College Students","text":"That this House calls on the Government to extend the concessionary bus fares scheme to allow everyone under 16 years and those able to prove they are in full-time education or on a work-based learning scheme free travel on buses nationwide; notes the application and success of such a scheme for those who live in London boroughs; and recognises the positive outcomes of such a scheme in offering greater social inclusion and increased mobility for those with limited incomes, a reduction of traffic on the school run and environmental benefits arising from more people making bus travel their viable routine choice.","date":"2009-01-12","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"37424","proposer":"10295","edm":"409","session":"2008-09","title":"VAT On School Uniforms","text":"That this House calls on the Government to extend the VAT zero rating to include all school uniforms; notes that currently parents must pay the full VAT on clothes for children aged 14 years and over or children who exceed the set size limits including school uniforms; urges the Government to scrap the size limit and make all school uniforms for primary and secondary schools VAT free; and believes that the change in law would be just, logical and affordable for the Government with huge financial benefits for parents.","date":"2009-01-12","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"37357","proposer":"11707","edm":"346","session":"2008-09","title":"Ewing School","text":"That this House commends the work carried out by staff and teachers in schools for children with speech and language disorders; notes with deep concern the proposals put forward by Manchester City Council to close Ewing School in West Didsbury, which has won awards for inclusion; believes that breaking up this school community and forcing children to move to specialist units in a mainstream school environment is not the best way to promote inclusion; recognises the campaigning efforts of the Parents Against the Closure of Ewing group; and calls on Manchester City Council urgently to reconsider these proposals.","date":"2008-12-17","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"37358","proposer":"11707","edm":"347","session":"2008-09","title":"Lancasterian School In West Didsbury","text":"That this House is deeply concerned at the proposals from Manchester City Council to close the secondary provision at Lancasterian School in West Didsbury; believes that the special educational needs of its pupils are best served by their hardworking teachers and other staff members; believes that the needs of Lancasterian pupils are best met by retaining secondary provision within the school and promoting close links with the Manchester College at Fielden Park to extend their learning post-16; and calls on Manchester City Council to urgently reconsider these proposals.","date":"2008-12-17","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"37252","proposer":"10492","edm":"251","session":"2008-09","title":"Contracted-Out School Services","text":"That this House is alarmed that schools included in the Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme are required to sign up to long-term provision by private contractors of key school functions such as ICT services without being informed of the terms and conditions of such services; fears that many schools would be forced to abandon otherwise excellent service arrangements; believes this open-ended commitment is being demanded by companies who wish to enrich themselves beyond the necessary construction contracts required to rebuild schools; regrets that the Government is not resisting these add-on money-making schemes; and calls on school governing bodies to demand detailed costs and plans of any contracted-out services in order to make decisions related to the much-needed BSF programmes which are fair to schools, ratepayers and taxpayers.","date":"2008-12-11","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"37195","proposer":"11672","edm":"201","session":"2008-09","title":"400th ANNIVERSARY OF PRINCE HENRY'S GRAMMAR SCHOOL","text":"That this House congratulates Prince Henry's Grammar School on its 400th anniversary; commends the school for achieving such an impressive milestone and for its continuing success as a superb local institution with an excellent reputation for academic achievement and sporting prowess; recognises the contribution that Prince Henry's has made to the town and community of Otley; believes that Prince Henry's will continue to go from strength to strength over the coming years; and wishes the teaching staff, support staff and pupils every success for the future.","date":"2008-12-09","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"37174","proposer":"11489","edm":"182","session":"2008-09","title":"Schoolchildren For Children","text":"That this House congratulates the work of the charity Schoolchildren for Children which both assists with the development of extra-curricular sporting activities at schools in the UK and provides books and other school equipment in some of the poorest countries in the world; recognises the importance of children having access to sporting activities outside of school hours; notes the recent success of athletes from across the UK at the Olympics which has created an even stronger interest in children wanting to take up sport; and wishes the charity well in its dual role of supporting sporting activity for UK children and improving the provision of education in the developing world.","date":"2008-12-08","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"37137","proposer":"11333","edm":"146","session":"2008-09","title":"Scottish Executive Funding For Auschwitz Visits","text":"That this House warmly welcomes the announcement by the Scottish Government to provide \u00c2\u00a3214,000 in order to guarantee the future of visits to Auschwitz for Scottish school pupils; notes that this is the first time that any Scottish administration has guaranteed funding for these Auschwitz trips; believes that these visits are important in giving Scottish school students a powerful and emotional experience in learning the lessons from the holocaust; is disappointed in the way that several Labour hon. Members chose to play politics with this sensitive issue; and hopes that the whole House will congratulate the Scottish government in providing this funding and for supporting this valuable initiative.","date":"2008-12-04","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"36997","proposer":"10521","edm":"5","session":"2008-09","title":"First Aid Education In Schools","text":"That this House welcomes the British Red Cross report, Life. Live It, on first aid in schools and the launch of its first aid education resource for teachers; notes that every year there are three million attendances at hospitals across the United Kingdom in cases where first aid skills could help; shares the view that in many health emergencies, interventions in the first few minutes, before the emergency services arrive, can make a crucial difference to the outcome of the casualty; believes that people in the UK should have basic first aid knowledge; further notes the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority consultation on the curriculum in secondary schools; and requests the Government to consider ways of promoting first aid education in schools.","date":"2008-12-03","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"37058","proposer":"10527","edm":"66","session":"2008-09","title":"Study Of Foreign Languages","text":"That this House notes with concern the continuing decline of uptake in foreign language GCSEs; recognises that language study beyond the age of 14 years is beneficial for individuals and the economy as well as a much wider range of human activities; regrets the lack of incentives for students to study modern languages at key stage 4 and beyond; and calls on the Government to provide additional incentives for such study and consider reinstating mandatory foreign language study for key stage 4.","date":"2008-12-03","status":"o"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"36952","proposer":"11489","edm":"2535","session":"2007-08","title":"Schoolchildren For Children","text":"That this House congratulates the work of the charity Schoolchildren for Children which both assists with the development of extra-curricular sporting activities at schools in the UK and provides books and other school equipment in some of the poorest countries in the world; recognises the importance of children having access to sporting activities outside of school hours; notes the recent success of athletes from across the UK at the Olympics which has created an even stronger interest in children wanting to take up sport; and wishes the charity well in its dual role of supporting sporting activity for UK children and improving the provision of education in the developing world.","date":"2008-11-19","status":"c"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"36909","proposer":"10333","edm":"2501","session":"2007-08","title":"John F. Kennedy Primary School, Washington","text":"That this House congratulates and pays tribute to the staff, pupils and governors of John F. Kennedy Primary and Nursery School, Washington, on being accredited for outstanding development in the International School Awards 2008; and commends the school for giving pupils a greater understanding of other nations.","date":"2008-11-13","status":"c"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"36899","proposer":"11923","edm":"2492","session":"2007-08","title":"Registration Fees For Composting","text":"That this House expresses concern at proposals within the Environmental Permitting Regulations which would charge schools to register for composting; recognises that the proposed \u00c2\u00a350 charge would serve as a deterrent for schools considering introducing composting; believes it would impact negatively on the environmental education of children in schools and undermine the Government's current efforts to encourage the public to dispose of their waste in an environmentally friendly manner; and urges the Government to reverse its decision to charge a composting permit on anything which is outside the private individual's garden.","date":"2008-11-12","status":"c"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"36900","proposer":"11522","edm":"2493","session":"2007-08","title":"Beatbullying Campaign","text":"That this House looks forward to anti-bullying week from 17th to 21st November 2008 as a means of stating that bullying is unacceptable; supports the Beatbullying, Everyone is Different wristband campaign; agrees with the south London-based charity that bullying runs against the British sense of fair play, justice and respect; and pays tribute to the empowerment that Beatbullying gives to young people to lead anti-bullying campaigns.","date":"2008-11-12","status":"c"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"36674","proposer":"10623","edm":"2306","session":"2007-08","title":"Croxteth Community Comprehensive School","text":"That this House deplores the proposal by Liverpool City Council to close Croxteth Community Comprehensive School in 2010; recognises the stabilising effect the school has in servicing the Croxteth and Norris Green areas of north east Liverpool, an area characterised by high levels of social deprivation, low skill employment and a high incidence of unemployment; is aware of recent serious incidents involving youth crime and anti-social behaviour in that area; realises that the proposal to close this school will leave these two districts without a single state secondary school and will deliver a blow to the confidence of the local community struggling to overcome recent desperate problems; and calls on Liverpool City Council to withdraw its proposal and for HM Government to investigate the matter.","date":"2008-10-21","status":"c"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"36646","proposer":"10177","edm":"2279","session":"2007-08","title":"Marmite And Breakfast Clubs","text":"That this House applauds the aim of the Welsh Assembly Government of promoting healthier food in schools; is concerned however that councils may be taking this welcome initiative too far by banning Marmite in breakfast clubs in schools; recognises that Marmite is relatively high in salt; but asks for common sense to be applied as a scraping of marmite or equivalent yeast-based spread can be part of a balanced diet, and a ban may be seen as counter productive in the quest for healthy living as it produces negative publicity.","date":"2008-10-16","status":"c"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"36594","proposer":"10492","edm":"2244","session":"2007-08","title":"Recruitment Of Academy Headteachers","text":"That this House is alarmed by reports that the Department for Children, Schools and Families has employed the headhunting firm Veredus to recruit headteachers to work in academy schools under a completely separate procedure from normal recruitment processes; deplores the detrimental impact this will have on the recruitment of headteachers in the maintained sector, which is already experiencing recruitment difficulties; therefore calls on the Government to impose a moratorium on the academies programme while an assessment of the impact of private headhunting on neighbouring schools is carried out; and welcomes the decision of the Trades Union Congress to affiliate to the Anti-Academies Alliance and to join in its excellent work of opposing the privatisation of secondary schools.","date":"2008-10-14","status":"c"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"36569","proposer":"10333","edm":"2220","session":"2007-08","title":"Columbia Grange School, Washington","text":"That this House pays tribute to the staff, governors, pupils and parents of Columbia Grange School, Washington, Tyne and Wear, for the excellent 2008 Ofsted Report which awarded the school Grade 1 (outstanding) in the overall effectiveness of the school and in many other categories; and believes such excellence in education is a proud achievement.","date":"2008-10-13","status":"c"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"36562","proposer":"10304","edm":"2213","session":"2007-08","title":"ROYAL SOCIETY OF CHEMISTRY'S BILL BRYSON SCIENCE PRIZE (No. 2)","text":"That this House applauds the Royal Society of Chemistry for its commitment to encourage an interest in science among young people; applauds the efforts that are being made throughout the United Kingdom, especially by teachers in primary and secondary schools, to revitalise the science curriculum and to convey the excitement of science to pupils and students; notes that on 14th October the prestigious RSC Bill Bryson Science Prize will be presented by the celebrated author himself, together with the RSC President Professor Dave Garner FRSC FRS, to Kate Marks and Sophie Jarvis (primary school winners) of St Joseph's School Cornwall supported by their teacher Susan Marks, to Thomas Williams (secondary school winner) of St Gregory's Catholic High School Warrington supported by his teacher Mr Abram, and to Emily Bullman (overall winner) of Walthamstow Hall School in Kent supported by her teacher Dr Susan Wilkinson; further applauds the students' outstanding entries in the RSC Bill Bryson science competition; and further notes the unrivalled contribution that the study of chemistry and the chemical sciences have made and continue to make to the understanding of nature, to the quality of life, and to the knowledge economy of the 21st century.","date":"2008-10-09","status":"c"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"36567","proposer":"10378","edm":"2218","session":"2007-08","title":"Council Of Europe Convention On The Protection Of Children And Compulsory Sex And Relationship Education","text":"That this House congratulates the UK on signing the Council of Europe Convention on the Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse; notes that Article 6 of the Convention states that each party shall take the necessary legislative or other measures to ensure that children, during primary and secondary education, receive information on the risks of sexual exploitation and sexual abuse, as well as on the means to protect themselves, adapted to their evolving capacity and this information, provided in collaboration with parents, where appropriate, shall be given within a more general context of information on sexuality and shall pay special attention to situations of risk, especially those involving the use of new information and communication technologies; and therefore calls on the Government to make age-appropriate, gender-sensitive sex and relationship education compulsory both through legislative proposals and its current review of sex and relationship education delivery.","date":"2008-10-09","status":"c"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"36550","proposer":"10157","edm":"2200","session":"2007-08","title":"Glasgow Rangers And Unicef","text":"That this House congratulates Glasgow Rangers Football Club on establishing a partnership with UNICEF which will see the Rangers Charity Foundation raising \u00c2\u00a3300,000 by 2011 to fund a UNICEF education programme in India called Reducing the Gender Gap: Quality Education for Girls, which will focus on improving the quality of children's education and working to ensure that all children, especially girls and those from disadvantaged or socially excluded backgrounds, have access to schools in the Indian states of Assam, West Bengal, Orissa, Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh, Rajastan, Gujurat, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala; further notes that the five other football clubs which have a partnership with UNICEF are Manchester United, Barcelona, Boca Juniors, Feyenoord and AC Milan; and welcomes this example of a great Scottish institution looking beyond its own midden to help the less fortunate elsewhere in the world.","date":"2008-10-08","status":"c"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"36553","proposer":"11489","edm":"2203","session":"2007-08","title":"Junior Artisan Club","text":"That this House congratulates Ysgol Llwyn Yr Eos in Penparcau in Aberystwyth on its Junior Artisan Club, now in its eighth year, which provides a vocational curriculum for all Year 6 pupils, developing skills in carpentry, cookery, horticulture, DIY and textiles; recognises that by teaching children valuable skills with the help of trained professionals, standards of behaviour, motivation and self-esteem can be raised across the board; notes that each pupil completing a placement will be presented with a certificate of achievement; and believes that by encouraging children to have confidence in their abilities the scheme provides an important contribution towards raising academic standards within the school.","date":"2008-10-08","status":"c"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"36530","proposer":"10552","edm":"2179","session":"2007-08","title":"Safety Regulations For School Buses","text":"That this House notes with great sadness the recent deaths in Aberdeenshire of two secondary school pupils, who were killed in separate incidents while alighting from their school bus; expresses its sympathy with the friends and families of the victims; is concerned that no statutory safety regulations exist to prevent other vehicles from overtaking stationary school buses; notes that other countries have such legislation, including the US and Canada; recognises the increasing sense of concern shown by parents and teachers for the safety of pupils travelling by school transport; supports clearer demarcation of school buses; and calls on the Government to take urgent action to review the situation and consider introducing legislation to make it illegal to overtake a stationary school bus which is picking up or dropping off pupils.","date":"2008-10-07","status":"c"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"36396","proposer":"10527","edm":"2054","session":"2007-08","title":"Study Of Foreign Languages","text":"That this House notes with concern the continuing decline of uptake in foreign language GCSEs; recognises that language study beyond the age of 14 years is beneficial for individuals and the economy as well as a much wider range of human activities; regrets the lack of incentives for students to study modern languages at key stage 4 and beyond; and calls on the Government to provide additional incentives for such study and consider reinstating mandatory foreign language study for key stage 4.","date":"2008-07-16","status":"c"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"36332","proposer":"10295","edm":"1999","session":"2007-08","title":"Free Transport For School And College Students","text":"That this House calls on the Government to extend the concessionary bus fares scheme to allow everyone under 16 years and those able to prove they are in full-time education or on a work-based learning scheme free travel on buses nationwide; notes the application and success of such a scheme for those who live in London boroughs; and recognises the positive outcomes of such a scheme, in offering greater social inclusion and increased mobility for those with limited incomes, reduction of traffic on the school run and the environmental benefits arising from more people making bus travel their viable routine choice.","date":"2008-07-09","status":"c"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"36319","proposer":"10014","edm":"1987","session":"2007-08","title":"CHILDREN'S SPEECH, LANGUAGE AND COMMUNICATION","text":"That this House welcomes the launch of the Bercow Review of services for children and young people with speech, language and communication needs; recognises that the Review is an attempt to support a wide range of children that require targeted and specialist support, along with the up to 50 per cent. of children in some deprived parts of the UK who start primary school with delayed language; notes that for too long children's communication has been overlooked; and urges the Government to look at the report's recommendations, particularly those that aim to improve provision in the early years, embed speech, language and communication into the national curriculum, improve joint working between local agencies through Children's Trusts, develop the skills of the entire children's workforce, give parents and families more information about where and how to get help and advice and to engage with the third sector as a key partner to deliver improved outcomes for children.","date":"2008-07-08","status":"c"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"36213","proposer":"11923","edm":"1892","session":"2007-08","title":"Home Educators","text":"That this House recognises and celebrates the hard work done by many home educators in Britain who educate children at home to an exceptionally high standard where traditional forms of education are not appropriate; further recognises the saving to the taxpayer provided by home educators whose children are not schooled at a cost to the Exchequer; and calls on the Government to review the policy of cutting income support for home educators.","date":"2008-06-25","status":"c"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"36185","proposer":"10526","edm":"1867","session":"2007-08","title":"Wokingham Borough Council And The Closure Of Ryeish Green School","text":"That this House deplores the decision of Wokingham Borough Council to close Ryeish Green School on the pretext of falling student numbers whilst at the same time announcing proposals for 5,500 new homes south of Reading which will require the creation of a new secondary school to meet the needs of an expanding population; supports the comments of the Ryeish Green Headteacher, Jenny Garner, that the school closure decision was made for political rather than educational reasons; believes that Ryeish Green is a vibrant and good school with evident potential to expand and prosper and that the only reason for the closure is the desire of Wokingham councillors to exclude Reading children from Wokingham schools; congratulates Ryeish Green on a successful Ofsted inspection in March; and calls upon the Schools Minister to intervene in the light of the announcement by Wokingham of increased housing provision in the area, possibly including the Ryeish Green site itself.","date":"2008-06-24","status":"c"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"36168","proposer":"10442","edm":"1858","session":"2007-08","title":"Gypsy Roma Traveller History Month","text":"That this House notes that June is Gypsy Roma Traveller history month and that it is the first such celebration to be fully supported and endorsed by the Government and provides a tremendous opportunity for children in our schools to hear of the traditions of Gypsies, Roma and Travellers; and congratulates the large number of Gypsies, Roma and Travellers, libraries, schools, teachers and others who have worked hard to organise events around the country.","date":"2008-06-23","status":"c"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"36175","proposer":"10105","edm":"1865","session":"2007-08","title":"Protecting Young People At Work","text":"That this House welcomes the Institute of Occupational Safety and Health seminar on 25th June to discuss ways of improving the safety and health of young people at work; recognises that safety and health must be taught in schools before students start work experience ensuring that they are better equipped to face the workplace environment; considers that the adequate vetting of placements and the suitable supervision will also contribute to protecting young people at work and strengthen business performance; and in this context calls on the Government to ensure that the teaching of safety and health is comprehensively integrated into the National Curriculum.","date":"2008-06-23","status":"c"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"36159","proposer":"10133","edm":"1850","session":"2007-08","title":"Islington Arts And Media, Holloway And Highbury Grove Schools","text":"That this House deeply regrets the inclusion of Islington Arts and Media School, Holloway School and Highbury Grove School on the list of under-performing schools by the Department of Children, Schools and Families; recognises that all three schools have benefited from Government investment, are rapidly improving and recently had good inspection reports; has full confidence in their head teachers and staff; and calls for the Secretary of State to remove their names from the list.","date":"2008-06-19","status":"c"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"36114","proposer":"11641","edm":"1810","session":"2007-08","title":"Top Of The Bench Competition","text":"That this House celebrates the achievement of Highgate School in winning the Royal Society of Chemistry's Top of the Bench competition in 2008; notes that secondary school students from 27 schools across the United Kingdom contested the 2008 nationwide competition, the final of which was held in the Science Museum, London; further notes that the competition involved both a knowledge test, a research exercise involving the Science Museum's galleries, and a team problem-solving exercise held in Imperial College science laboratories; congratulates the winning students Charlie Bruce, Jack Saville, David Ooi and Max Jamilly and their chemistry teacher Mr Kamaljit Bains; and applauds the constructive role that the Top of the Bench competition continues to have in encouraging an interest in science amongst young people.","date":"2008-06-17","status":"c"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"36103","proposer":"10641","edm":"1799","session":"2007-08","title":"2 Skint 4 School Campaign And Child Poverty","text":"That this House notes the launch of the Child Poverty Action Group's 2 Skint 4 School campaign; supports the principle of the campaign that every child deserves a fair chance to learn; welcomes the attention drawn by the campaign to the additional challenges Britain's poorest children face in the education system; and calls on the Government to give greater recognition to the importance of progress on the eradication of child poverty to the improvement of education outcomes and achievement in school.","date":"2008-06-16","status":"c"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"36080","proposer":"11817","edm":"1779","session":"2007-08","title":"Amalgamation Of Bayston Hill Primary Schools","text":"That this House notes with concern the proposed amalgamation of two primary schools in the Shropshire village of Bayston Hill and that the hard-working teachers and Head of Oakland School are vehemently opposed to these plans; further notes that the parents of Oakland School and governors are passionately trying to save the school from amalgamation as they wish to retain their excellent school which has tremendous results year on year; applauds the courage, tenacity and determination of the Head of Governors and local resident Mr Cameron Taylor for the work he is doing to try to save Oakland School; considers that in the fourth largest economy in the world the Labour Government should be supporting individual choices of parents of schools like Oakland rather than wilfully neglecting investment in education in rural shire counties like Shropshire, which is leading to this deeply unpopular move in Bayston Hill; and believes that parents in Bayston Hill have been let down by the Government, which on the one hand states that rural primary schools should not be closed and yet will not lift a finger to ensure that Oakland School is saved; and urges the Minister responsible, the hon. Member for Dorset South, to explain why the Government is doing so little to listen to the concerns of Mr Cameron Taylor and other governors of Oakland School.","date":"2008-06-12","status":"c"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"36087","proposer":"11696","edm":"1715A1","session":"2007-08","title":"Rural Schools Closures","text":"leave out from `the' to `and' in line 6 and insert `proposed amalgamation of primary schools in rural villages which are not supported by the governing bodies of the schools concerned'.","date":"2008-06-12","status":"c"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"36088","proposer":"11696","edm":"1715A2","session":"2007-08","title":"Rural Schools Closures","text":"leave out `proposed school closures, including those of' and insert `proposed amalgamation of'.","date":"2008-06-12","status":"c"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"36089","proposer":"11696","edm":"1715A3","session":"2007-08","title":"Rural Schools Closures","text":"at end add `and Longmeadow and Oakland schools in Bayston Hill'.","date":"2008-06-12","status":"c"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"36030","proposer":"11420","edm":"1744","session":"2007-08","title":"Threat Of School Closures","text":"That this House regrets the Government's crude and destabilising threat to close 638 English secondary schools which have failed to hit an examination target imposed retrospectively; notes that the 638 schools include a large number of academies and other rapidly improving schools; draws attention to the strong link between school results and school catchment which means that 55 per cent. of schools in the poorest areas fail to hit the target while only two per cent. miss the target in the most affluent catchments; expresses concern that the publicity achieved by the Government may make it more difficult to attract good staff and leadership to these schools, as well as deterring potential parents; and calls for a more sophisticated approach to assessing school performance and securing a much needed improvement in standards.","date":"2008-06-10","status":"c"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"36037","proposer":"10492","edm":"1751","session":"2007-08","title":"Publication Of Secondary School Performance","text":"That this House is dismayed that a deeply flawed out of date list has been unnecessarily published which has been widely interpreted by the media as labelling over 600 secondary schools as failing their pupils; notes that included on the list are 26 privatised academy schools, including the much-vaunted Harris Academy, demonstrating that privatisation is not a solution to the educational disadvantage often deeply rooted in our unequal society; condemns the list for failing to recognise the hard and diligent work of teachers, parents and pupils in some of England's most deprived communities; and asks the Secretary of State to withdraw the list until further discussions have been held with appropriate local authorities in order to correct the inaccuracies.","date":"2008-06-10","status":"c"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"36001","proposer":"10465","edm":"1715","session":"2007-08","title":"Rural Schools Closures","text":"That this House notes with concern the mass school closures taking place in Shropshire; condemns the policy of mass school closure by many councils in the area; notes that OFSTED reports should be taken into account when considering closure; urges councils to observe high standards of accuracy when making a case for closure; calls for councils to consider the needs and concerns of the local community as far as possible when considering closures; and urges Shropshire Council to reconsider its proposed school closures, including those of Lydbury North and Clunbury schools.","date":"2008-06-06","status":"c"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"36004","proposer":"11427","edm":"1718","session":"2007-08","title":"International Links Between Schools","text":"That this House warmly congratulates the staff, children and parents of St Mary's Primary School in Whickham for the work they have done since 2002 through a twinning arrangement with St Anthony's Academy in the Nakuru region of Kenya; further congratulates pupils of St Mary's for gaining the UNICEF national award of Rights Respecting School; further notes that \u00c2\u00a37,000 has been raised by the school and local parish communities to provide clean water from a well dug, built and managed by the local community in Subukia, Kenya; acknowledges the role that Father Ithondeka played in strengthening relations between the two schools; is deeply saddened that Father Ithondeka was murdered by armed youths at an illegal roadblock during the recent disturbances; further notes that for three of the last six years the British Council has funded reciprocal visits for teachers from both countries enabling the link to grow and strenghten; is disappointed that this funding has now stopped though the link continues, and that visits will be reduced due to lack of funds; and urges the Government to support such links and to play a key role in returning Kenya to the path of peace and ensuring that basic human rights such as health, water and education for children are made available to all.","date":"2008-06-06","status":"c"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"35992","proposer":"10208","edm":"1706","session":"2007-08","title":"Playing Fields","text":"That this House recognises the importance of access to playing fields in helping to tackle rising levels of obesity, strengthen communities and cut crime; notes with concern that the nation's playing fields are still being sold off at an alarming rate; further notes that, every nine days, plans to build over a playing field are accepted even though Sport England warns that this will have a negative impact on local sporting provision; condemns the continued sell-off of smaller playing fields, the size of half a football pitch, at a rate of almost one a day, despite the Government's promise made in 2002 to introduce protection for them; is deeply concerned that there is currently a loophole in the law that allows landowners to deliberately prevent people using a playing field for five years and then sell it off without proper consultation; and, consequently, calls on the Government to close this loophole and honour its promise to give smaller fields the same protection as larger ones to ensure that the UK's playing fields are protected for generations to come.","date":"2008-06-05","status":"c"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"35978","proposer":"11921","edm":"1694","session":"2007-08","title":"Urban Outdoor Education","text":"That this House notes the significant contribution that residential courses make to improving educational standards, personal and social development and health amongst children and young people; congratulates the University of East London on producing a feasibility study on a proposal for a residential urban education centre at the Olympic Park for the Field Studies Council (FSC) a leading education charity, which operates 17 field centres in the UK with over 100,000 visitors attending day and residential courses each year; considers that such a centre would have a hugely positive impact on young people and their schools and families and provide great benefits to students from the whole of the UK and from overseas; further notes with interest that the FSC has particularly strong and well established links with London schools; and therefore commends the FSC's proposal for an urban education centre at the Olympic Park which aims to become a world-leading centre of excellence in urban studies, offering many community-based education links whilst also specialising in education for sustainable development.","date":"2008-06-04","status":"c"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"35959","proposer":"11420","edm":"1675","session":"2007-08","title":"Pfi Charges For Use Of School Changing Rooms","text":"That this House notes that charges for additional services levied by companies managing schools under private finance initiative contracts are not constrained either by the market or contractually; further notes that this leads to charges of over \u00c2\u00a3100 per hour for access to a changing room on Saturdays; recognises that this excessive cost prevents children from participating in additional sport on Saturdays; and calls for the Government to review its policies from this perspective.","date":"2008-06-03","status":"c"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"35973","proposer":"11489","edm":"1689","session":"2007-08","title":"Learning Along The Food Chain","text":"That this House welcomes the Learning Along the Food Chain DVD commissioned by Organic Centre Wales and FACE Wales, which seeks to promote understanding of how food is produced amongst school students, using farm visits, gardening and cooking to promote healthy eating and care for the environment; applauds Nick Rebbeck of Learning on the Farm for producing the bilingual DVD; notes that as demand for locally sourced food increases it is important that children are made aware of the work done by farms to provide food; and congratulates everyone involved with the Learning Along the Food Chain project.","date":"2008-06-03","status":"c"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"35875","proposer":"10459","edm":"1597","session":"2007-08","title":"Xtraordinary Week 19th To 23rd May 2008","text":"That this House welcomes Xtraordinary Week, run by charitable initiative Xtraordinary People, to raise awareness and funds to support dyslexia training in schools; notes with concern the shocking findings of a recent report, commissioned by Xtraordinary People's No To Failure project and the Department for Children, Schools and Families, which found evidence of dyslexia in 55 per cent. of children failing SATs at Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2; further notes the results of a recent report which suggests that inappropriate teaching for children with dyslexia costs the country billions of pounds and wastes the potential of millions of children; and calls on the Government to support Xtraordinary Week and to take action to ensure that every school in England has a specialist dyslexia\/specific learning difficulties trained teacher.","date":"2008-05-16","status":"c"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"35768","proposer":"10295","edm":"1500","session":"2007-08","title":"Truancy Statistics","text":"That this House notes the latest truancy statistics identifying an increase in children classified as persistent truants; declines to rely on statistics that show an improvement overall in exam results; recognises that, while exam results are improving, there is a risk of an increased polarisation as a substantial number of pupils make less progress; and notes that a community-wide approach must be implemented by communicating with parents and increasing the number and responsibility of welfare officers in cases of persistent truancy.","date":"2008-05-07","status":"c"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"35769","proposer":"11892","edm":"1501","session":"2007-08","title":"Lurgan Junior High School Under-12 Football Team","text":"That this House congratulates Lurgan Junior High School under-12 football team on winning the Northern Ireland Cup; takes note that this is the first occasion in the school's history that it has won this tournament; further congratulates Kyle Cousins on scoring a hat-trick in the final; and offers its gratitude to all schoolteachers and volunteers who give of their time to encourage young people to participate in sporting activity.","date":"2008-05-07","status":"c"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"35731","proposer":"13712","edm":"1466","session":"2007-08","title":"Visits By Scottish Schools To Auschwitz","text":"That this House commends the work of the Holocaust Educational Trust in educating school children throughout the United Kingdom on the history of the Holocaust and the ongoing threats of genocide throughout the world; supports the Government's programme to finance these visits and notes that last year the Trust successfully arranged its first direct flights from Scotland to allow more children in Scotland to participate and to share their experiences with their other school colleagues; but is dismayed to note that the SNP-led Scottish Executive supported by the Tory group in the Scottish Parliament have voted this month against the use of the Barnett consequential amounting to \u00c2\u00a3150,000 per annum to continue funding these visits in Scotland; and calls upon the Secretary of State for Scotland when he next meets the First Minister to urge him urgently to reconsider this regressive and narrow-minded decision.","date":"2008-04-30","status":"c"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"35669","proposer":"10683","edm":"1418","session":"2007-08","title":"Awesum Challenge Programme For Financial Education In Schools","text":"That this House congratulates the West Bromwich Building Society and its partner, the Mercian Trust, on launching the Awesum Challenge, an online free teaching resource designed to raise the mathematical attainment and financial literacy of eight to 11 year olds, further enhancing the skills and confidence of young people in handling money; and urges the Government to work with the West Bromwich Building Society, and other qualified institutions, in promoting financial education for young people.","date":"2008-04-24","status":"c"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"35653","proposer":"10001","edm":"1403","session":"2007-08","title":"Discrimination Against Lesbian And Gay People","text":"That this House recognises that despite equality legislation, lesbian and gay people are still subject to discrimination and abuse on account of their sexuality in the United Kingdom; notes the recent research by Stonewall that found that nearly one in five lesbian and gay people has experienced homophobic bullying in the workplace during the last five years and suggests that homophobic bullying in schools is on the increase; further notes that the research found that many lesbian and gay people felt they were not treated the same as heterosexual people in politics, education, the justice system, and in health and social care; and calls on the Government to take steps to tackle the continuing problem of homophobic bullying and to introduce the same duty on public bodies to promote equality of service for gay people that already exists for ethnicity, gender and disability.","date":"2008-04-23","status":"c"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"35553","proposer":"10378","edm":"1314","session":"2007-08","title":"Epilepsy And Special Educational Needs","text":"That this House congratulates the Joint Epilepsy Council on its campaign to ensure that the Department for Children, Schools and Families recognises epilepsy as a condition that causes special educational needs (SEN); notes with concern that children and young people with epilepsy routinely experience potential health, learning, behavioural and emotional needs as a direct result of their epilepsy; regrets that around two-thirds of children and young people with epilepsy who attend mainstream schools are believed to underachieve academically; further notes that this equates to 40,000 affected children, given that there are 60,000 children with epilepsy in UK schools; and urges the Government to consider the needs of children and young people with epilepsy when enacting the Children's Plan commitment to improve SEN data collection.","date":"2008-04-02","status":"c"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"35564","proposer":"11592","edm":"1325","session":"2007-08","title":"Full Free School Meals Campaign","text":"That this House welcomes the launch, with the support of the Daily Mirror newspaper, of the FULL campaign for free, universal, locally-sourced lunches in UK schools; believes that introducing free, hot and healthy school meals and stay on site policies would be a major step in the fight against child obesity, remove the stigma of free school meals for some children, increase educational achievement, encourage an environmentally sustainable approach to school food, discourage pupils from eating junk food and cut nuisance behaviour in local communities at lunchtimes; notes academic research which shows a direct link between diet and educational attainment; recognises that obesity is estimated to cost the public purse \u00c2\u00a33.5 billion a year; believes that the benefits of free school meals for all would far outweigh the cost; and urges the Government to make a full assessment of universal free school meals through the establishment of pilots.","date":"2008-04-02","status":"c"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"35518","proposer":"11245","edm":"1283","session":"2007-08","title":"Drugs Education And Awareness","text":"That this House welcomes the work of Thundersley Congregational Church in Castle Point in providing information and support on drugs education and awareness in local schools; notes that such charities receive little or no funding from Government sources; and calls on the Government to fund preventative drugs programmes such as that provided by Thundersley Congregational Church.","date":"2008-03-31","status":"c"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"35483","proposer":"10304","edm":"1249","session":"2007-08","title":"Free School Meals","text":"That this House notes the study carried out by the Child Poverty Action Group in 2000-01 on school meals, which reported the stigmatisation of families and their children through receipt of free school meals; further notes that this study also reported that by extending entitlement to free school meals the disposable income of the poorest families could rise by up to \u00c2\u00a327 a week; and congratulates Bolton Council on its announcement of the introduction of free school meals to all starters at primary school in the first term from September 2008, with the hope that this can be extended to the full school year later.","date":"2008-03-20","status":"c"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"35461","proposer":"10028","edm":"1234","session":"2007-08","title":"Impact Of School Costs On Families And Child Poverty","text":"That this House notes the publication of Adding up: The Range and Impact of School Costs on Families by the School Costs Coalition; further notes that the report reveals restrictive supply arrangements making school uniforms unaffordable, restrictive costs for learning materials such as books, sports kits and art equipment and disadvantaged pupils missing school trips due to charges and widespread bad practice on making information available to pupils and parents when payments are voluntary and help with costs is available; expresses concern that over 70 per cent. of both primary and secondary school parent respondents find it difficult to meet all the costs associated with their child's education, with many experiencing distress from high school cost demands; is further concerned at reports that pupils whose families are unable to meet school costs are frequently bullied and disciplined as a consequence; recognises the need to address school costs to help eliminate child poverty and improve educational attainment; calls on schools and local authorities to monitor charging policies, disseminate good practice and make sure that parents are made aware of help with costs in non-stigmatising ways; and calls on the Government to make the school costs requirements of the Admissions Code enforceable in their own right, with extension of powers to the Schools Adjudicator to allow parents to make direct complaints where school costs requirements are not complied with, and to consider a statutory duty on local authorities to provide uniform grants for families in receipt of maximum child tax credit.","date":"2008-03-19","status":"c"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"35414","proposer":"11592","edm":"1192","session":"2007-08","title":"Cardinal Hume And Thomas Hepburn Schools","text":"That this House congratulates Cardinal Hume and Thomas Hepburn schools in Gateshead on being the 19th and 33rd most improved schools in the country since 2004 based on key stage 3 results; echoes the praise for education in Gateshead given by the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families; and commends the tireless effort and commitment shown by pupils, parents and teachers to deliver these improvements.","date":"2008-03-14","status":"c"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"35405","proposer":"10226","edm":"1136A1","session":"2007-08","title":"Hospital Meals","text":"leave out from `untenable;' to end and insert `notes that a survey by leading children's cancer charity CLIC Sargent found that, overall, the quality of food provided to children and young people with cancer in hospital is rated as poor; further notes that adequate and effective nutrition can help speed recovery for these children; and urges the Government to work with best practice hospitals in ensuring that all children with cancer are offered decent food in hospital which is fit to eat'.'","date":"2008-03-12","status":"c"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"35388","proposer":"10274","edm":"1168","session":"2007-08","title":"St Bedes Rc Primary School","text":"That this House congratulates St Bedes RC Primary School in Jarrow on its outstanding achievements at the 2008 World Maths Day competition; recognises the wonderful achievement from year 6 pupils to finish first out of all the schools in the North East and second in the United Kingdom, earning its place in the Class Hall of Fame; and commends the incredible work by staff, pupils and everyone associated with St Bedes RC Primary School to compete against more than one million students and 20,000 schools and to achieve such pleasing results.","date":"2008-03-11","status":"c"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"35356","proposer":"10190","edm":"1136","session":"2007-08","title":"Hospital Meals","text":"That this House notes that \u00c2\u00a33 per patient is spent on meals in hospitals, 70 pence per pupil is spent on meals in schools and up to \u00c2\u00a312 is spent on meals for prisoners held in police cells; is concerned that these figures are unjust and that the situation is untenable; and calls on the Government to conduct an immediate review of spending priorities in hospitals, schools and prisons.","date":"2008-03-07","status":"c"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"35336","proposer":"11817","edm":"1117","session":"2007-08","title":"Learning And Skills Council And Co-Location Of Shrewsbury Sixth Form College And Shrewsbury College Of Art And Technology","text":"That this House expresses its consternation at the conduct of the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) in relation to the co-location of Shrewsbury Sixth Form College and Shrewsbury College of Art and Technology; notes that hundreds of teachers, parents and students have voiced their opposition to these plans, that many of Shrewsbury's elected representatives at local and national level have spoken out against co-location and that a petition opposing the plans has attracted over 8,000 signatures from members of the public; believes that proceeding with co-location in spite of this amount of opposition shows a deplorable level of unaccountability; and calls on the Government to open a debate on making the LSC more accountable so that the Council's decision-making processes do not ride roughshod over the views of local people in the future.","date":"2008-03-05","status":"c"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"35337","proposer":"10190","edm":"1118","session":"2007-08","title":"VAT On School-Specific Uniforms","text":"That this House notes that the Schoolwear Association is the trade body representing the entire school-specific uniform sector; further notes that the members of the Schoolwear Association supply products to 75 per cent. of UK schools; acknowledges that the Schoolwear Association's research has identified the various benefits that school-specific school uniforms bring, including a sense of collective identity, pride in appearance, improved behaviour and greater security; recognises that VAT is exempt only on those uniform sizes deemed appropriate for children aged 13 years and younger; realises that with an estimated 33 per cent. of all 11 to 15 year olds currently overweight or obese, the status quo ignores legitimate differences in size whilst also disadvantaging those from the lower socio-economic groups who suffer the highest incidence of weight problems; further notes that by raising the age of compulsory education to 18 years, families will be forced to pay even more VAT; supports the Schoolwear Association's Untax our Teens campaign, which aims to improve the affordability of school uniforms; further notes that this would collectively save parents around \u00c2\u00a34 million each year; and calls on the Government to reduce the rate of VAT on upper body, badged items of uniform to five per cent., in line with the Schoolwear Association's proposals.","date":"2008-03-05","status":"c"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"35348","proposer":"10643","edm":"1081A2","session":"2007-08","title":"Pupils Learning In Aviation Noise Environments","text":"leave out from `Airport;' to end and add `notes that BAA Ltd provides a voluntary scheme that has so far allocated \u00c2\u00a325 million to provide noise insulation for schools and community buildings around Heathrow Airport; and welcomes the company's commitment to extend existing noise mitigation schemes to cover areas that might be affected by the proposed airport expansion.'.","date":"2008-03-05","status":"c"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"35334","proposer":"10643","edm":"1081A1","session":"2007-08","title":"Pupils Learning In Aviation Noise Environments","text":"leave out `in west London schools'.","date":"2008-03-04","status":"c"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"35287","proposer":"11771","edm":"1081","session":"2007-08","title":"Pupils Learning In Aviation Noise Environments","text":"That this House acknowledges the Pupils Learning in Aviation Noise Environments (PLANE) campaign to highlight the impact of aircraft noise on children being educated in west London schools in proximity to and\/or under flight paths to Heathrow Airport; expresses deep concern at the inadequate provision of acoustic noise insulation for local classrooms; notes that proposals for a third runway at Heathrow Airport and ending runway alternation, as outlined in the Department for Transport consultation, Adding Capacity at Heathrow Airport, would seriously exacerbate the problem of aircraft noise impacts on school children and possibly affect the future educational achievement of children being educated in some west London schools; and calls upon the Government to provide adequate statutory measures to address and alleviate the impact of aviation noise impacts on local children in the classrooms.","date":"2008-02-29","status":"c"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"35257","proposer":"11817","edm":"1058","session":"2007-08","title":"Cost Of The Co-Location Of Shrewsbury Sixth Form College And Shrewsbury College Of Art And Technology","text":"That this House expresses its concern that \u00c2\u00a32,084,209 million has been spent so far on architects, traffic consultants, engineers and other specialists' fees for the co-location of Shrewsbury Sixth Form College (SSFC) and Shrewsbury College of Art and Technology; and calls on the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) and the governing body of SSFC to re-consider co-location before any more taxpayers' money is wasted on this unwanted project; and urges the principals to do what they should have done from the start which is to seek funding from the LSC for modernisation and development of both colleges on their separate existing sites.","date":"2008-02-27","status":"c"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"35275","proposer":"11443","edm":"1032A1","session":"2007-08","title":"Holocaust Educational Trust Auschwitz Trips","text":"leave out from `again' to end and add `welcomes therefore the ongoing unequivocal cross-party commitment to these trips; notes that the only issue under dispute is the Government's characterisation of the level of funding it is providing; regrets that the Government press release announcing the initiative made no mention of the financial contribution schools have to make towards the visits themselves; believes this to be another example of Government failing to give the full story; therefore welcomes the confirmation already given that, if elected to Government, a Conservative administration would not only continue to provide financial subsidy for the HET's trips to Auschwitz programme but would fund the trips in full so schools would not have to find the extra money from their budgets; and looks forward to a continuing cross-party consensus on this important issue.'.","date":"2008-02-27","status":"c"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"35253","proposer":"11675","edm":"1055","session":"2007-08","title":"BOYS DON'T SING TELEVISION PROGRAMMES","text":"That this House congratulates the inspirational Gareth Malone, Helen Collins, the staff and particularly the boys of Lancaster School for their commitment, dedication and courage during the making of the enthralling television programmes, for their outstanding achievements in representing the school and the City of Leicester at the Royal Albert Hall, for giving such great pleasure to so many people and, through their common endeavour, for proving that boys do sing.","date":"2008-02-26","status":"c"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"35229","proposer":"10465","edm":"1032","session":"2007-08","title":"Holocaust Educational Trust Auschwitz Trips","text":"That this House welcomes the Government's decision to subsidise the Holocaust Educational Trust's (HET) programme of trips to Auschwitz for school children; believes these visits are a vital part of the education programme to ensure the lessons of the Holocaust are not forgotten; further believes these visits help prevent such genocide from happening again; notes that many people were offended by the insensitive, thoughtless and offensive claim in a Conservative document that trips to Auschwitz are a gimmick; and asks the right hon. Member for Witney to confirm that, if elected to Government, a Conservative administration would continue to provide the financial subsidy at the same level for the HET's trips to Auschwitz programme.","date":"2008-02-25","status":"c"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"35202","proposer":"11817","edm":"1004","session":"2007-08","title":"Co-Location Of Shrewsbury Sixth Form College And Shrewsbury College Of Art And Technology","text":"That this House expresses its concern about the planned co-location of Shrewsbury Sixth Form College (SSFC) and Shrewsbury College of Art and Technology; believes that relocating SSFC out of the town centre will adversely effect the economy and atmosphere of Shrewsbury town centre, as well as the accessibility of the college to the majority of its students; notes with concern that the environmental impact of co-location has not been given adequate attention; accepts the opinion of the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment that the building proposal is to an `unacceptable standard of design'; disapproves of the Learning and Skills Council and the governing body of SSFC for failing to adequately consult staff and students; and calls on them to reconsider the co-location.","date":"2008-02-21","status":"c"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"35109","proposer":"10171","edm":"928","session":"2007-08","title":"Frank Barnes School For Deaf Children And Bsl Education In London","text":"That this House recognises the importance of ensuring that deaf and hearing-impaired children are educated in British Sign Language (BSL); believes that for many deaf children, BSL will be their lifelong first language and that they have a right to have the national curriculum delivered to them in this language; recognises the outstanding qualities that Frank Barnes School for Deaf Children in Camden has to offer, as highlighted in Ofsted's latest inspection; notes that this is the only school in Greater London offering BSL\/English bilingual education for deaf children of primary age and that it educates children from 16 different London boroughs; is concerned about Frank Barnes' ability to continue to deliver its unique education in London if the school is relocated; and calls for this excellent provision to continue in accordance with the wishes of the pupils, parents, Governors, staff and supporters of the school.","date":"2008-02-18","status":"c"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"35057","proposer":"13934","edm":"881","session":"2007-08","title":"Wearing Of The Sikh Kara In Schools","text":"That this House notes with concern the suspension of Sarika Singh from Aberdare Girls School in Wales for wearing the Sikh Kara, a religious steel bracelet; further notes that the Kara is one of the five Ks of the Khalsa in the Sikh religion and is a symbol of restraint and gentility, a symbol that a Sikh is linked to the Guru, a reminder that a Sikh should not do anything of which the Guru would not approve, a symbol of God having no beginning or end, and a symbol of permanent bonding to the community, being a link in the chain of Khalsa Sikhs (the word for link is kari); notes that the Kara is made of steel, rather than gold or silver, because it is not an ornament; believes that the continued suspension of Sarika Singh under the mistaken belief that the Kara is a piece of jewellery is a flagrant disregard for her freedom of religious conscience; further believes that she should not be made to choose between her faith and her education; considers that Sarika should be allowed to return to school immediately and be permitted to wear her Kara as an expression of her faith; and recommends that the Department for Children, Schools and Families and the Welsh Assembly should issue guidance to schools so that this situation is not repeated.","date":"2008-02-05","status":"c"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"35070","proposer":"10492","edm":"894","session":"2007-08","title":"Anti-Academies Alliance","text":"That this House congratulates the Anti-Academies Alliance on publishing its report of the parliamentary inquiry into school academies informed by the evidence of professionals and others working in academies, community campaigners, trade unions and educationalists, all concerned that the take-over of schools by outside commercial interests and religious orders is contrary to good equal opportunity practice in education, is not subject to the Freedom of Information Act and is publishing insufficient detail on academy results, is creating unfair funding between schools, is operating admission and exclusion policies which skew intakes, is denying the protection of general education law to academy pupils and parents, is undermining local democracy and community solidarity, that the governance arrangements allow sponsors to appoint the majority of governors in perpetuity who are rarely representative of the school community, that the staff terms and conditions are leading to higher turnover rates and discriminatory employment practices and that the sponsor has almost absolute power once a school becomes an academy; and calls on the Government to take full account of the findings of the inquiry and to make urgent moves to implement them.","date":"2008-02-05","status":"c"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"35005","proposer":"10463","edm":"837","session":"2007-08","title":"Government Investment In Engineering","text":"That this House welcomes the announcement by the Department for Children, Schools and Families of a \u00c2\u00a3140 million strategy to boost science and mathematics teaching in schools to nurture the education of the next generation of scientists and mathematicians; believes that this measure would make a significant impact upon the number of people pursuing a career in these fields, which are vital to the growth of the UK economy; and also notes the work of the Royal Academy of Engineering, which has campaigned to establish hands-on science, technology, engineering and mathematics activities in schools and which strives to raise awareness of engineering and technology as stimulating career options.","date":"2008-01-31","status":"c"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"34970","proposer":"10190","edm":"805","session":"2007-08","title":"Protection Of Village Schools","text":"That this House recognises the importance of village schools to their communities; notes that plans to close village schools across the UK represent yet another example of the systematic dismantling of the rural way of life; and calls on the Government to honour its pledge made in 1998 for the protection of village schools and to provide local authorities with the requisite support.","date":"2008-01-29","status":"c"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"34877","proposer":"11420","edm":"720","session":"2007-08","title":"Schools And The Single Status Agreement","text":"That this House notes the financial implications of pay and grading reviews in English local authorities; further notes that these are a legal requirement following the single status agreement and are required in accordance with equalities legislation; recognises that schools face particular difficulties in handling the capital consequences of awarding back pay; and urgently calls on the Government to review how schools can be assisted to deal with the consequences of this process.","date":"2008-01-17","status":"c"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"34882","proposer":"10062","edm":"725","session":"2007-08","title":"Gcse And A Level Results In Trafford","text":"That this House congratulates Trafford schools on their outstanding results at GCSE and A-level in 2007; notes that 74 per cent. of pupils achieved five or more GCSEs at A* to C, a better performance than in any other local authority on the English mainland; that 61 per cent. of pupils achieved five or more good GCSEs, including English and mathematics, putting Trafford in fourth place nationally; further notes that average point score per student at A level was higher in only five other local authority areas; and further notes that these results have been achieved in a socially and ethnically diverse metropolitan authority which borders Manchester and Salford and which extends to within a mile of the centre of Manchester.","date":"2008-01-17","status":"c"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"34772","proposer":"11921","edm":"619","session":"2007-08","title":"SPECIAL EDUCATION NEEDS (INFORMATION) PRIVATE MEMBERS' BILL","text":"That this House recognises that there is currently insufficient information available to analyse outcomes for school pupils with special educational needs; welcomes the Special Education Needs (Information) Private Members' Bill which aims to improve the provision and publication of such information by amending the Education Act 1996 to ensure that the efficiency of schools in delivering positive outcomes for pupils with special educational needs is recorded and published annually; and believes that this would enable parents to make informed choices about their children's education as well as a more informed assessment of which special educational needs policies are achieving the best results, thus building a case for identifying and introducing best practice.","date":"2007-12-18","status":"c"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"34743","proposer":"11036","edm":"592","session":"2007-08","title":"Educational Attainment Of Deaf Children","text":"That this House notes the statement made by the then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Education and Skills, the hon. Member for Gloucester, in March that only 32.9 per cent. of deaf pupils in England achieved five GCSEs at grades A* to C, compared with 57.1 per cent. of all children, an attainment gap of more than 24 percentage points; expresses its concern that many deaf children are under-achieving; further notes that, as deafness is not a learning disability, there is no reason why deaf children should not achieve at the same rate as their hearing peers of similar cognitive abilities; welcomes the decisions by the Department for Children, Schools and Families to begin publishing attainment data for children with special educational needs, broken down by type of special eduactional need and local authority area, and to initiate a research project on the wide variations between local authority areas in meeting special educational needs; regrets that the Government chose not to include the attainment of deaf and disabled children in the set of national public service agreement priority indicators or to make it a statutory performance indicator within the local government national indicator set for 2008 to 2011, thereby missing an opportunity to make tackling under-achievement by deaf children a central and local government priority; and calls on the Government to commit to closing the attainment gap between deaf children and their hearing peers and to reverse the decision not to include educational attainment of deaf children as part of the national public service agreement priority indicators for 2008 to 2011.","date":"2007-12-17","status":"c"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"34705","proposer":"10304","edm":"562","session":"2007-08","title":"Outdoor Learning And Initial Teacher Training","text":"That this House notes with regret that fieldwork provision in science in British schools is declining; believes that this is partly due to a lack of confidence and ability amongst teachers to take children out of the classroom; notes the varying level of time committed to out-of-classroom learning across Initial Teacher Training (ITT) provision; welcomes the recent report Initial Teacher Education and the Outdoor Classroom produced jointly by the Field Studies Council and the Association for Science Education and its recommendations, commonly known as the Malham Protocol, which seek to reverse this trend; notes the Protocol's recommendation to set a minimum time commitment and common approach across ITT providers; and agrees with the report's recommendation that the Office for Standards in Education should report on the degree and quality of fieldwork training and development in ITT providers and schools.","date":"2007-12-12","status":"c"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"34675","proposer":"10226","edm":"534","session":"2007-08","title":"Childhood Cancer Awareness Month","text":"That this House marks Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, celebrating survivors of childhood cancer; notes that children and young people stand a better chance than ever of surviving cancer, but can suffer physical and emotional effects of cancer or treatment throughout their lives; welcomes the announcement of the new National Cancer Survivorship Initiative; notes that children and young people should receive the educational support they need during treatment for cancer, and in transition back to school; notes that survivors of childhood cancer can suffer late effects which impact on their learning capacity and educational attainment and which demand timely and effective special educational needs support from schools; hopes that plans to raise the school leaving age to 18 years will be extended to include out of school education support for young people with cancer; and congratulates CLIC Sargent on its work to help survivors of childhood cancer to get their lives back.","date":"2007-12-11","status":"c"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"34686","proposer":"10436","edm":"545","session":"2007-08","title":"School Uniforms And The Get It 4 School Programme","text":"That this House recognises that many parents and teachers consider there to be a link between school uniform and improved pupil performance and behaviour; notes with concern the findings of the recent Office of Fair Trading review of the school uniform market which found that exclusive arrangements between schools and uniform retailers were inflating uniform prices and costing British parents more than \u00c2\u00a345 million per year; welcomes guidance for governing bodies on their responsibilities relating to limiting the expense of uniforms; further welcomes the contribution of the Get it 4 School programme which works with schools to establish individual online shops for the supply of customised, low cost uniforms to students and their families; further notes that by breaking local monopolies the programme has reduced the cost of some items by as much as 50 per cent.; further recognises that Get it 4 School takes no operating profit from the enterprise; congratulates those involved on raising more than \u00c2\u00a361,000 for the schools involved; further notes that this money can then be used to further reduce the cost of uniforms; and calls on the Government to investigate further opportunities to reduce the cost of school uniforms to low income families through support for such programmes.","date":"2007-12-11","status":"c"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"34692","proposer":"11427","edm":"551","session":"2007-08","title":"Northern Ireland Financial Divide Report","text":"That this House regrets the decision to erect a heavy-grade 25 feet tall security fence in the playground of Hazelwood Integrated Primary School in North Belfast at a cost of \u00c2\u00a3250,000; urges a full review of the security fence at Hazelwood a year after its construction to ensure this temporary measure does not join so many others in becoming permanent; believes that the cost of the Hazelwood fence is a sad symbol of wider costs of sectarianism in Northern Ireland; notes that in 2006 the Government commissioned Deloitte to produce a report entitled Research into the Financial Cost of the Northern Ireland Divide and that the report of April 2007 revealed that almost \u00c2\u00a31.5 billion on policing, education, housing, health and other provisions is spent annually from the public purse on duplicated services; and urges policy-makers to encourage and facilitate integrated education, particularly in teacher training, as well as collaboration between different school sectors as part of concerted and longer-term efforts to foster reconciliation and understanding between different communities in Northern Ireland and save public money.","date":"2007-12-11","status":"c"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"34657","proposer":"10261","edm":"517","session":"2007-08","title":"University Of Oxford Black Boys Can Programme","text":"That this House welcomes the University of Oxford Black Boys Can Programme which is run in conjunction with the National Black Boys Can Association, the first four year programme of which commenced at St Anne's College, Oxford on 26th October; notes that this builds on previous initiatives between the National Black Boys Can Association and the University of Oxford; welcomes the programme's key aim of encouraging more black boys to enter university education through raising their aspirations and academic attainment, particularly in the national curriculum subjects of mathematics, English and science; notes that programme students are assigned Oxford undergraduate mentors and the parents of the programme student are also engaged fully in supporting their sons' education; notes that the programme students were drawn from black boys in years 9 and 10 from across the UK who have the potential to achieve well above the national averages at GCSE; wishes the 26 students in this year's programme every success; and encourages more higher education institutions in the UK to participate in such schemes.","date":"2007-12-10","status":"c"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"34670","proposer":"10120","edm":"530","session":"2007-08","title":"Race Relations Act 1976","text":"That this House takes serious note of the continued refusal of the Governing Body of Aberdare Girls' School to permit a 14 year-old Sikh girl from wearing to school her Kara, a small Sikh bangle that is an article of her faith; is concerned to learn the punishment for the girl for her insistence on wearing her modest Kara was at first keeping her in isolation for nine weeks and then on 5th November, excluding her from school; and calls upon the UK Government to work with the Welsh Assembly and to do everything within its power to ensure the girl is immediately reinstated as her treatment clearly amounts to discrimination and contravenes the Race Relations Act 1976.","date":"2007-12-10","status":"c"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"34633","proposer":"11651","edm":"500","session":"2007-08","title":"Drugsline","text":"That this House welcomes the work of Drugsline, the independent drugs crisis, information and support charity; praises their education outreach programme for schools team, comprised of recovering addicts and those who work in frontline addiction services who inspire the trust and confidence of the young people they visit; notes that in the academic year 2006-07 the charity saw over 30,000 students aged eight to 18 and aims to reach 50,000 in 2007-08; notes that charities such as Drugsline remain massively under-resourced with little or no Government funding; and calls on the Government to give serious consideration to adequately funding preventative drugs education programmes such as Drugsline.","date":"2007-12-06","status":"c"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"34576","proposer":"10492","edm":"447","session":"2007-08","title":"Harris Group Of Academies And Carpetright","text":"That this House is dismayed to learn that the Harris Group of South London Academies is offering inter alia, cut price Carpetright Company carpets to its teachers in attempts to recruit and retain staff; believes this demeans the ethos of the education service and is a regrettable consequence of handing over the ownership and management of schools to people unsuited to the serious responsibility of educating young people.","date":"2007-11-29","status":"c"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"34577","proposer":"10077","edm":"448","session":"2007-08","title":"Parliamentary Launch Of Nut Manifesto On Education","text":"That this House welcomes the Parliamentary launch on 3rd December of the National Union of Teachers manifesto on education, A Good Local School for Every Child and for Every Community; welcomes the proposals on encouraging international co-operation and the sharing of ideas in education, increasing per pupil funding in state schools to match that in private schools, promoting local accountability and community cohesion, giving greater voice to young people in schools and colleges, and improving initial training and professional development for teachers; and calls on the Government to give serious consideration to the document.","date":"2007-11-29","status":"c"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"34517","proposer":"10715","edm":"395","session":"2007-08","title":"Cardiac Arrests In Schools","text":"That this House congratulates SADS UK on organising, training and donating 17 automated external defibrillators (AEDs) to schools in the UK; notes that a recent study by the American Heart Association shows that, on average, for every 111 schools, there is at least one school-based cardiac arrest each year; and therefore calls on the Government to bring forward a strategy for including AEDs in all schools to help save lives.","date":"2007-11-27","status":"c"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"34495","proposer":"10096","edm":"375","session":"2007-08","title":"Penyrheol Comprehensive School Five-A-side Football Team","text":"That this House congratulates Penyrheol Comprehensive School in Gorseinon, Swansea, for winning the school Team of the Year prize in The Daily Telegraph\/Norwich Union School Sports Matters National Awards as a result of finishing last season as UK 5-a-side champions; recognises that this achievement has boosted morale in the school and the wider community, coming, as it does, just over a year after the school was burned down by arsonists; looks forward to the reconstruction of the school to the highest standards; and wishes students and staff continuing success in the future.","date":"2007-11-22","status":"c"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"34442","proposer":"10518","edm":"324","session":"2007-08","title":"Ysgol Bodnant Juniors Eco Club","text":"That this House congratulates Ysgol Bodnant Juniors Eco Club, in Prestatyn, and its members Daniel Cooper, Natasha Austerberry, Cassie Richardson, Dominic Cash, Nia Davies, Millie Higgs, Ben Worthing, Rebecca Williams and Matthew Roberts, and their teacher Caroline May, for their success in winning the School of the Year category in the Trinity Mirror Newspapers and ScottishPower Your Champions' award for their dedication to environmentally-friendly projects both in and outside of school; and also praises Trinity Mirror Newspapers and ScottishPower for running the awards and highlighting the excellent work that goes on in North Wales communities.","date":"2007-11-20","status":"c"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"34406","proposer":"10040","edm":"295","session":"2007-08","title":"Children With Communication Problems And The Communication Trust","text":"That this House welcomes the creation of the Communication Trust, supported by Afasic, the Council for Disabled Children, I CAN and the BT Better World Campaign; notes that one in 10 children in the UK has communication problems that require specialist help, representing approximately three children in every classroom, with many more having inadequate speech and language skills; recognises that all children will benefit from a skilled workforce who can support speech and language, as communication skills are linked to attainment; further notes that many teachers and other members of the children's workforce feel ill equipped to support children's speech and language development; congratulates the Trust on its work in improving provision for children who struggle with communication by devising, promoting and delivering training resources, programmes and services to augment and support the work of local speech and language therapy services that will help the children's workforce to develop appropriate skills; and urges the Government and its delivery partners, including the Training and Development Agency, the Children's Workforce Development Council and the Children's Workforce Network, to give all possible support to the Communication Trust to help enable the children's workforce to ensure that the current generation of children is able to communicate effectively.","date":"2007-11-19","status":"c"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"34368","proposer":"11458","edm":"261","session":"2007-08","title":"Anti-Bullying Awareness Week 2007","text":"That this House welcomes anti-bullying week which runs from 19th to 23rd November; congratulates schools, parents and anti-bullying organisations on their efforts to stamp out bullying in all its forms; notes that bullying continues to be a major problem in schools and the wider community; believes that the focus in 2007 on cyberbullying, schools and the community is appropriate due to the worrying growth in cyberbullying during recent years; calls for the development of new initiatives by network service providers and internet providers to curtail this new and insiduous form of intimidation and victimisation of children; further notes the recent report from Mencap on bullying of children and young people with learning disabilities; and urges the Government to provide greater training for schools to ensure prevention of bullying of the disabled, cyberbullying and any other form of bullying.","date":"2007-11-14","status":"c"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"34328","proposer":"10203","edm":"226","session":"2007-08","title":"School Shootings And Anti-Depressants","text":"That this House is horrified at the recent increase in school shootings; is puzzled that the English language media failed to mention that in the Finnish tragedies, Mr Pekka-Eric Auvinen said that he 'ate SSRI anti-depressants' which, he said, made him feel 'aggressive'; notes that the perpetrators of 28 other school shootings, including at Columbine and in Minnesota, were also on anti-depressants; notes that anti-depressants, especially selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), have been proved to both sweep away self-regulating internal inhibitions while triggering explosive acts of violence and murderous behaviour; and calls for a study of the links between SSRI use and almost all school shootings and a rethink on the wisdom of the mass prescribing of anti-depressants to young people.","date":"2007-11-13","status":"c"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"34333","proposer":"10557","edm":"231","session":"2007-08","title":"Diabetes In Schools And The Living With Diabetes In Schools Campaign","text":"That this House welcomes World Diabetes Day and the Living with Diabetes in Schools campaign run by Diabetes UK, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, INPUT and UK Children with the Diabetes Advocacy Group, which aims to improve care and support for children with diabetes at school; also welcomes the Medical Conditions at School Policy Resource Pack from Diabetes UK, produced in conjunction with the Anaphylaxis Campaign, Asthma UK, Epilepsy Action, and Long Term Conditions Alliance and designed to help schools develop an effective overall policy for children and young people with medical conditions; recognises that many schools are not properly supporting children in managing their diabetes and are consequently preventing them from taking part in various physical activities and extra-curricular programmes; further recognises that 70 per cent. of children with Type 1 diabetes who are unable to administer their own insulin rely on a parent visiting the school to do so due to a lack of coherent policies for managing diabetes in school; and calls upon the Government to support children living with diabetes and issue guidance to local education authorities to encourage and support schools to develop and implement policies that result in best practice in the management of diabetes and enable full participation of children with diabetes in school life.","date":"2007-11-13","status":"c"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"34310","proposer":"10383","edm":"208","session":"2007-08","title":"Nut Education Manifesto","text":"That this House welcomes the publication of an education manifesto by the National Union of Teachers (NUT), 'A Good Local School for Every Child and for Every Community'; notes the proposals on promoting international co-operation in education, improving per pupil funding, local accountability, and teacher training and development; further welcomes the call for all schools to be reintegrated into the maintained sector so that the education system promotes community cohesion; and therefore calls on the Government to engage with the NUT to improve education policy.","date":"2007-11-12","status":"c"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"34270","proposer":"10616","edm":"174","session":"2007-08","title":"AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH FILM AND MR JUSTICE BURTON'S RULING","text":"That this House recognises the need to find innovative, compelling and balanced ways to engage everyone on the issue of climate change; welcomes Mr Justice Burton's overall ruling that the film An Inconvenient Truth can be shown in schools provided there is appropriate contextual guidance given by teachers; notes prominent scientists' comments that the judge was a little harsh on the film in places; and believes it is not alarmist to warn of major sea level rises, since Professor James Hansen, top US climate modeller, argues that such sea level rises should be expected this century if emissions are not curbed appropriately and that Arctic sea ice ranges are shrinking much faster than was predicted.","date":"2007-11-08","status":"c"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"34207","proposer":"10177","edm":"117","session":"2007-08","title":"What Money Means Project","text":"That this House welcomes the launch of What Money Means, a major new financial capability project run by the Personal Finance Education Group (PFEG), and supported by HSBC; applauds this five year, \u00c2\u00a33.4 million project to create a step-change in how primary school children learn about money; notes that within five years it is planned to have reached more than 17,500 primary schools in the UK; further applauds HSBC for involving up to 10,000 employees as volunteers, as part of the support schools will receive; believes that this project will play an important role in equipping young people with the skills that will help them to develop into financially capable adults; and sees this as an important step towards the goal of all young people having access to a planned and coherent programme of personal finance education at school.","date":"2007-11-07","status":"c"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"34095","proposer":"10521","edm":"5","session":"2007-08","title":"First Aid Education In Schools","text":"That this House welcomes the British Red Cross report, Life. Live It on first aid in schools and the launch of its first aid education resource for teachers; notes that every year there are three million attendances at hospitals across the United Kingdom in cases where first aid skills could help; shares the view that in many health emergencies interventions in the first few minutes, before the emergency services arrive, can make a crucial difference to the outcome of the casualty; believes that people in the UK should have basic first aid knowledge; further notes the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority consultation on the curriculum in secondary schools; and requests the Government to consider ways of promoting first aid education in schools.","date":"2007-11-06","status":"c"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"34175","proposer":"10304","edm":"85","session":"2007-08","title":"ROYAL SOCIETY OF CHEMISTRY'S BILL BRYSON SCIENCE PRIZE","text":"That this House marks the launch of the Royal Society of Chemistry's biennial Chemistry Week 2007 in November; notes that among its key objectives is a commitment to encourage an interest in science among young people; applauds the efforts that are being made throughout the United Kingdom, especially by teachers in primary and secondary schools, to revitalise the science curriculum and to convey the excitement of science to pupils and students; notes the wide range of activities organised by the Society in local communities all over the country which are designed to illustrate the Chemistry Week theme of Fuelling the Future which will focus on the vital role of chemistry as the UK moves towards a low carbon economy; further notes that on 7th November the prestigious Bill Bryson Prize will be presented by the celebrated author himself to Nadia Moores (Year 5) of Liverpool College, accompanied by her teacher Miss Anderson and Rachel Farnsworth (Year 11) of Dayncourt Specialist Sports College, accompanied by her teacher Ms Pam Richings, for the two students' outstanding entries in the RSC science competition; and notes the unrivalled contribution that the study of chemistry and the chemical sciences have made and continue to make to our understanding of nature, to the quality of life, and to the knowledge economy of the 21st century.","date":"2007-11-06","status":"c"},{"topic":"Schools","id":"34200","proposer":"10323","edm":"110","session":"2007-08","title":"On The Edge Programme And Mental Health Education","text":"That this House recognises that serious mental illness in young people can have life-long consequences and the current pattern of delayed first contact with health professionals is a major public health concern; notes that developing a national network of early intervention services for young people experiencing a first episode of psychosis has been a key goal in modernising mental health services in England and remains a key commissioning priority; further notes that although there is evidence that early intervention services produce better outcomes, there is little evidence that they are intervening sufficiently early or fulfilling their stated aim of reducing the stigma associated with psychosis and improving professional and lay awareness; understands that international examples of successful early intervention across communities have depended on extensive, sustained and focused health education programmes; recognises the international standard that every 15 year old should be equipped by mainstream schooling to know how to cope with psychoses but regrets that neither teachers nor early intervention teams have so far developed the capacity, materials or models to fulfil this ambition; welcomes the development of On the Edge, an award-winning mental health education programme for schools based on interactive drama supported by the National Director for Mental Health and Royal College of Psychiatrists; and calls upon the Government to positively support such innovative mental health education programmes for schools and colleges as a means of ensuring that schools are equipped to work with their local early intervention team to promote mental well-being.","date":"2007-11-06","status":"c"}]