Highlighting the essential role the FSM programme plays in safeguarding children’s health, educational attainment, and long-term outcomes, the letter argues that the current FSM funding rate is no longer sufficient against a backdrop of rising food costs, increased labour costs driven by London Living Wage uplifts, and higher Employer National Insurance contributions, all of which have reduced the funds available for ingredient procurement.

FSM funding currently sits at £2.61 per meal, but without an increase to at least £3.50 per meal, providers will be forced to compromise on food quality, undermining both nutritional standards and the integrity of the programme.

The current eligibility threshold has also left many struggling families without the support they need, putting their children’s health and attainment at risk.

Olive Dining serves over 150,000 students across 170 schools – many of these in deprived areas of London and the South East. Currently, more than 68,000 of these students rely on FSM, and Olive Dining has increased FSM uptake by 22 per cent in the past 12 months, with total meal uptake now exceeding 80 per cent of the school population.

Speaking about her letter to the government, Stephanie Spratt, co-founder and CEO of Olive Dining, said: “The FSM scheme is a lifeline for many families across the UK, and as the squeeze on household budgets continues, access to consistent, nutritious meals at school is more important than ever. Children and young people need well-balanced meals not just to benefit their physical health, but to support their cognitive development, concentration, and academic performance. But without adequate funding, this is becoming more difficult.

“An increase in funding is essential to ensure schools can continue to provide meals made from fresh, high-quality, UK sourced ingredients. I’m calling on the government to increase FSM funding by 89p per child to reflect current market conditions; address the impact of rising labour costs, including London Living Wage increases and Employer National Insurance contributions; expand eligibility to support more low- and middle-income families; and reinforce and invest in robust nutritional standards for school meals.”

To address this, VenturEd Solutions launched a new safeguarding framework at the Schools & Academies Show last week, at the NEC in Birmingham. The framework brings together safeguarding records held in CPOMS StudentSafe, alongside supporting data from Medical Tracker and SchoolPod, to help surface relevant information across systems so staff can identify important links sooner and act quickly when something doesn’t seem right.

In a busy school day, a class teacher might record a behaviour incident, a TA may log medication that a child needs to take, and the DSL might add a safeguarding note. On their own, none of these updates might be anything to note. But together, they could highlight a student who needs support.

For example, a student may be missing more school, be visiting the medical room more often with headaches or stomach aches and showing a change in behaviour such as becoming withdrawn or more anxious in class. Each of these could be easy to explain. But when you look at them all together, they could give safeguarding staff a clearer picture to step in early and help.

Ed Farmilo, former teacher and senior leader at VenturEd Solutions, said: “Safeguarding decisions are rarely based on one big incident. It’s usually small things that start to add up like a change in behaviour, more visits to the school office for medical advice or a student’s attendance starting to dip.

“The challenge is having the ability to spot those patterns early. Our aim is to make that easier for schools, so they can act sooner when something isn’t right.”

Daniel Neeld, managing director at Medical Tracker, said: “Schools have always held the pieces of the puzzle, but too often health sits in one system, safeguarding in another and behaviour somewhere else. By bringing Medical Tracker, CPOMS and VenturEd Solutions together in this framework, we’re giving schools the complete picture of every child, built from specialist tools that each do their job brilliantly. That’s how you move from reacting to concerns to getting ahead of them.”

Rick Gardner, managing director at CPOMS, added: “The new framework builds on systems schools already use. It doesn’t add extra workload or require staff to learn something new. It simply helps the systems share relevant information so safeguarding teams can see the full picture and respond more quickly.”

Located within the Old Royal Naval College at Greenwich, the project will transform a first-floor teaching space within the Grade I listed King William Court.

The building forms part of the Greenwich Hospital Scheduled Monument within the Maritime Greenwich UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Wilson Mason is providing architecture, interiors, heritage, Building Regulations and CDM Principal Designer services on the project. The project will refurbish the university’s existing computer laboratories, which were originally fitted out around 2000 when the university first occupied the site.

After 25 years of intensive use, the facilities are being upgraded to support current and future teaching methods, improve capacity and enhance the student experience, while carefully preserving the building’s historic fabric.

Wilson Mason began work on the project with a feasibility study in September 2025 and has led the design through the early stages. The practice will now continue its involvement from Stage 4 onwards as part of the client design and monitoring team, with construction works due to commence in late May 2026 and completion scheduled for August 2026 ready for the start of the new academic year.

The scheme has required a highly sensitive approach in response to the heritage significance of the building, including no fixings into masonry and stonework, no new services penetrations through masonry and limited opportunities to disturb the historic floor construction.

Dominique Haslam, partner architect at Wilson Mason’s London office, said: “We feel enormously proud to be working with the University of Greenwich on this important refurbishment at King William Court. This is a project of real significance, not only because of the value it will bring to students and teaching staff, but also because of the extraordinary historic setting in which it sits.

“Our approach has been to develop a carefully considered, light-touch design that responds to the constraints of a Grade I-listed building and Scheduled Monument while creating contemporary, flexible and future-facing learning spaces. It has been a genuinely collaborative process with the university, Historic England and the wider consultant team, and we look forward to seeing the project progress on site.”

The design strategy for the project includes bespoke joinery interventions, carefully integrated servicing routes and multifunctional elements that support teaching, acoustics, lighting control and ventilation. The design also includes reinstatement of double sash window operation to support the natural ventilation of the space.

Sustainability has been addressed through the replacement of existing cooling units with more efficient contemporary systems, improved natural ventilation, the specification of materials with high recycled content and end-of-life recycling potential, as well as a modular approach that will allow future adaptation and reassembly.

Throughout the scheme, any newly introduced elements have been designed to perform multiple functions while minimising impact on the historic structure.

A programme of survey and opening-up works, undertaken with consent from Historic England, has helped the team better understand the construction of the building, existing service routes and opportunities for sensitive interventions. This collaborative approach has supported the progression of the design and the timely securing of Scheduled Monument Consent.

The wider consultant team on the project includes Maris Interiors as building contractor, Gardiner & Theobald as project manager and cost consultant, Hoare Lea as MEP, acoustics and AV consultant, and Price & Myers as structural engineer.

The 2025-2026 partnership marks the start of a new expanded 3-year programme between Baxi and Primary Engineer, funded by the BDR Thermea Foundation, the owner of Baxi’s parent company BDR Thermea.

The first part of the Baxi/Primary Engineer partnership consists of the construction programme, curriculum-linked engineering projects for participating primary schools across Preston and Warwick that encourage pupils to design, build and present their ideas.

This year, with the help of their teachers and 21 Baxi volunteers, pupils at 25 participating primary schools in Preston and Warwick were tasked with building tipper trucks out of shoeboxes and lighthouse towers with working electrical circuits.

In April, a selection of the children had the opportunity to present the results of their hard work to the Baxi volunteers at the Celebration events held at Claydon Green Sports Centre (Preston area) and University of Warwick (Warwick area).

Natasha Kinnear, Head of Partnerships at Primary Engineer, said: “There is something truly wonderful about seeing young girls passionately engage with our Primary Engineer Construction Programme. You witness firsthand the resilience they show if their design fails and the pure magic when it works. While the ‘buzz’ of winning a prize and the joy of our celebration days are highlights, the real impact lies beyond these moments. Our approach is about creating lasting memories, developing skills and opening doors to these girls.”

The second part of the Baxi/Primary Engineer 3-year partnership is the UK-wide ‘If you were an engineer, what would you do?’ STEM competition in which Baxi are a regional partner for the Lancashire and West Central England regions. For this initiative, pupils aged 3 to 19 are invited to engage with engineering and technology professionals and design innovative solutions to real word problems.

BDR Thermea Program & Partner Manager Robert Van Roijen along with Baxi representatives including MD Jason Baldock, Operations Director Darren Ingram and Transformation Director Jacqueline Taylor were involved in the final judging stages held this April. With so much creativity, innovation and passion on display, grading the innovations was no easy task. The winning designs will be celebrated later in the year at 25 regional Award Ceremonies.

The Primary Engineer activities are designed to introduce children to engineering and engineering professionals, and to spark curiosity and creativity among the participants. Baxi’s partnership with Primary Engineer builds on its sponsorship with WorldSkills UK and support for the Future Skyline Skills Commitment to encourage diversity and early engagement in engineering.

An impact report produced by Primary Engineer on the school engineering projects revealed that an impressive 100% of the teachers involved reported an increase in their understanding of engineering. Thanks to Primary Engineer’s training and the Baxi volunteers’ support, they also reported a better understanding of diversity challenges in engineering, and a stronger recognition of how including engineering in the curriculum can benefit their pupils.

All the participating teachers agreed that Primary Engineer’s training helped them understand how to make an impact on engineering career aspirations and left them with an increased confidence in teaching STEM subjects.

Carolyn Sidebotham, Head of Learning and Development at Baxi UK and Ireland, said: “Primary Engineer is a fantastic initiative for getting kids excited about STEM topics. It’s wonderful to be able to introduce the next generation to subjects that are increasingly vital to society. Through our partnership with Primary Engineer and our other early careers initiatives, we aim to inspire a long-term interest in STEM at a young age to help shape the more inclusive, diverse generation of engineers that our industry needs.”

Now in its twelfth year, the campaign will award five major prizes of £1,000/€1,000 in National Book Tokens gift cards. In 2026, to coincide with the UK’s National Year of Reading, the initiative expands further, introducing weekly spot prizes of £100/€100 to one school each week between 6 May and 24 June – more than doubling the number of schools able to expand their library collections this year.

Winning schools can spend their gift cards at participating bookshops across the UK and Ireland, with expert support available to help select books suited to pupils’ needs. Nominations are open until 8 July 2026, with the five main winners announced in September 2026. Meanwhile, weekly winners will be revealed via National Book Tokens’ channels.

The initiative continues to build on the longstanding partnership between National Book Tokens and Read for Good, including the successful Readathon® programme, bringing books and storytelling to children in hospitals and schools across the UK.

Both organisations share a commitment to reading for pleasure, which is linked to improved academic outcomes, enhanced wellbeing, and the development of empathy and other vital life skills, according to research by the National Literacy Trust.

Recent Read for Good research highlights a continued fall in the number of school libraries and, where they do still exist, they face significant funding challenges in maintaining well-stocked libraries with modern and appealing books, with teachers consistently citing lack of funding as the main barrier to improvement.

As one teacher explains: “School budgets are increasingly tight and to complete the refresh we need to, we just don’t have the funds. To have the greatest impact our book stocks need a complete overhaul and to do this we need financial support.” Another adds: “Books are outdated and scruffy. The school budget is stretched, and it has not been a priority for spending.”

Despite these challenges, library engagement remains strong where provision exists, with, according to recent findings by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, 64% of 5–10-year-olds and 58% of 11–15-year-olds visiting a library in the past year, demonstrating continued demand for accessible and engaging reading spaces, which the Schools Prize has met with impressive results.

Since the prize began in 2014, 28 schools across England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Ireland have collectively received £60,000 in funding. Schools have used the awards to rebuild underfunded libraries, stock new spaces, and broaden collections to better reflect and support all pupils – including books for dyslexic and autistic readers, graphic novels and comics, and pupil-selected reading materials.

The findings reveal a significant awareness gap across the education sector, with 44% of staff reporting they are unfamiliar with the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025, otherwise known as Martyn’s Law, and a further 31% unaware of any preparations being made ahead of its introduction.

Beyond the requirements of incoming regulation, the findings also highlight concerns surrounding everyday preparedness and a clear funding issue. The majority of staff (58%) believe their school is not prepared for a lockdown or a major security incident, yet 87% say they lack sufficient funding to implement effective lockdown and security measures.

While enforcement of the new duties – covering lockdowns, evacuation, invacuation and wider preparedness – is not expected until early to mid-2027, this leaves little more than a year for schools to prepare, with the new guidance sharpening urgency by clarifying who falls within scope and what is required to comply.

Despite low awareness of the legislation, the Act applies to education settings where 200 or more people are reasonably expected to be on site at any one time, meaning the vast majority of UK schools fall within scope.
According to the research, low awareness of law changes is also accompanied by growing concern over school safety, with more than one-third (36%) of education staff stating that schools have become more dangerous places to work, and high levels of aggression reported among pupils, towards staff, and from parents.

Alex Jay, CEO of Little Green Button, said: “The scale of these findings is deeply concerning. Schools are being asked to prepare for serious security threats without the funding, tools or clear guidance needed to do so confidently – with many not even aware of the legislation they are expected to prepare for.

“The guidelines are clear – this is about being able to share information quickly and effectively during an incident to support a response and reduce harm. As such, now more than ever, schools need to ringfence time to assess risks across their site, consider how technology can support faster and clearer communication, and ensure they have a simple, well-understood lockdown plan in place, all of which should be tested regularly. Early preparation doesn’t just reduce risk, it builds confidence among staff, students, and parents; important both in the context of rising incidents and as we enter a new regulatory environment.”

Pupils in the building society’s operating areas of Cumbria, Lancashire and South West Scotland will learn the essential life skill of how to manage money.

FutureJam, a community interest company, delivers interactive ‘MoneyJam’ workshops to pupils aged 7 to 11 with the aim of setting young people up for success in their later lives.

Claire Deekes, Chief Customer Officer at The Cumberland said, “We have been delivering a financial literacy programme in local primary schools for a number of years, and we are delighted to continue this work through our new partnership with FutureJam and their fun interactive MoneyJam workshops.

“Learning about budgeting and saving in real life situations is really important to give youngsters confidence as they grow up. By developing these skills, hopefully we can help them to take control and work towards their aims and goals in life.”

Children as young as 9 enjoyed a MoneyJam lesson at Alston Primary School recently where they learned how to budget and how to make decisions about what they can afford. They took part in an exercise to plan a school party where they had to decide how to spend a £100 budget.

“I loved this!” said Laila, aged 11. “It’s great that we are learning about money and how to spend it and how to look after it. I learned not to always spend all of your money. And have a reasonable budget.”

Sasha, 9, said: “It was really good. It’s really encouraging to use when you are older.”

Alston primary school teacher Judy Humphrey said the workshop had engaged pupils. “It is a really good activity to do with children at this age when some of them are starting to get some more freedom. The earlier they can start the better,” she said.

The Cumberland is sponsoring the delivery of 60 workshops in 30+ primary schools located in and around its branch communities, with each school receiving 2 sessions.

The aim is to help children build confidence in understanding money, making choices and developing positive financial habits. There will also be six parent financial literacy sessions and 16 teacher training sessions.

Cumberland colleagues will also be involved in delivering the workshops, and leadership engagement events will be hosted in schools.

FutureJam delivers life-skills education in schools on employability, digital skills and wellbeing as well as financial literacy.

Eleni Varon, the FutureJam facilitator who led the session at Alston school, said teaching children how to think about budgeting and how to have conversations about what you can and can’t afford is an essential life skill: “Hopefully normalising the topic means a new generation of young people will feel a lot more in control and comfortable with having these conversations and making these kinds of decisions,” she said.

“Transferable life skills which you can bring to different job roles and careers are very important.”

National research shows 92% of girls and 74% of boys report sexist name-calling in school, while fewer than a quarter of female pupils believe schools take sexism seriously enough. Those figures formed the backdrop to classroom discussions that led A Level sociology students to develop the ‘Flag !t’ campaign.

What began as a curriculum project has since been launched at the Association of Colleges national conference and incorporated into a Relationship and Sex Education toolkit championed through the Department for Education’s FE Student Support network. The resource is now available for colleges across England to adapt and has been translated into Welsh.

Laura Morris, Curriculum Leader for Personal and Social Development at Gateshead College, said the initiative was driven entirely by student voice.

She said: “Students were reflecting on what they see online and in their day-to-day lives. When we looked at national data alongside those conversations, it was clear this was a wider societal issue. They wanted to create something practical that could help others recognise harmful behaviours and respond constructively.

“The students have presented to sector leaders and contributed to a resource that other colleges can now use. That process has built confidence, public speaking skills and critical thinking in a way that goes far beyond a traditional assignment.”

Rather than focusing solely on extreme cases, the campaign identifies everyday ‘red flag’ behaviours that often go unchallenged, alongside ‘green flag’ behaviours that model respect and healthy relationships. It includes structured activities and a reporting framework that institutions can tailor to their own settings.

Students refined their ideas through a sector roundtable before working with designer Alex Lockey to develop materials that could be used nationally while retaining their original intent. The group later presented the campaign to more than 100 delegates at a national student services conference.

Matthew Sweet, one of the students involved, said the experience demonstrated that young people can influence wider conversations.

He said: “It started as a discussion in class. Taking it to a national audience showed us that our perspectives matter. It’s made us more aware of how everyday language shapes attitudes and has built our confidence in speaking about it.

“Standing up in front of professionals from across the country was challenging, but it showed us that young people’s perspectives are taken seriously. It has given us confidence in speaking about issues that matter and experience we would not normally get at our age.”

Interest in the campaign is extending beyond further education, with local authority representatives exploring how elements of the approach could inform work in schools and community settings.

Nadine Hudspeth, Director Brand and Learner Experience at Gateshead College, said the project reflects the college’s broader approach to education.

“We want students to leave with qualifications and with the confidence to engage critically with the world around them. This campaign shows how young people can contribute thoughtfully to complex issues while developing the communication and teamwork skills that employers value.”

The Flag !t materials form part of the national Relationship and Sex Education toolkit for the post-16 sector and are available via the Association of Colleges: https://www.aoc.co.uk/research-unit/research-projects/relationship-and-sex-education-toolkit-for-the-post-16-sector

The College is the largest provider of post-16 education in the region and currently supports over 1,000 apprentices working alongside more than 500 employers, from local businesses to global organisations. With apprenticeships in a wide range of sectors, including engineering, construction, health, digital, business, and more, the College provides students with practical, hands-on experience that equips them with the skills and confidence to progress in their careers.

Jasbir Dhesi OBE, Principal and CEO of Cheshire College commented: “Being named the number one provider of apprenticeships in Cheshire & Warrington is a huge achievement for the College. We have worked extremely hard to build strong partnerships with over 500 employers across the region, ensuring that our apprentices gain the practical skills, experience, and opportunities they need to succeed.”

The College is also leading the way in preparing businesses for a sustainable future with the launch of new “green” apprenticeships. These programmes help develop essential sustainability skills and give employers the chance to upskill staff or bring in new talent to meet sustainability goals and drive innovation.

By working closely with employers, Cheshire College ensures apprentices gain the skills most in demand, helping to close skills gaps across the region and create a workforce capable of meeting the challenges of a rapidly evolving economy. This includes technical knowledge in their specialism alongside universal skills for life such as communication, teamwork and interpersonal skills.

Apprenticeships combine working at an organisation and studying for a nationally recognised qualification, and can be undertaken by anyone over 16 years old. From students taking the next step in their careers to businesses upskilling their workforce, an apprenticeship can be a great route into sustainable employment.

The project is the brainchild of former Stoke City footballer Meg Bowyer who has been subjected to sexual harassment on multiple occasions when out exercising.

“Men would shout inappropriate comments as I ran past,” she said. “If that was your mum, sister, wife, daughter or friend, you wouldn’t like them having that shouted at them.

“I thought, if men can put on a VR headset and see through the eyes of a woman, that might make them understand how we feel.”

She added: “It’s not saying you are doing something wrong – they might not necessarily realise how they make women feel. It’s about raising awareness and educating people.”

Meg works for TKO Consulting, which supports offenders after their release from prison, and approached University of Staffordshire to collaborate on an immersive virtual reality (VR) app to challenge attitudes and educate people about this type of harassment.

Over the past 18 months, Meg has worked with Lecturer in Policing David Webb and Digital Education Officer Simran Cheema to design an app that places users in realistic scenarios commonly experienced by women.

Using a VR headset, participants step into the role of Zoe, a woman walking home alone. As events unfold, users are confronted with inappropriate comments and the experience of being followed – situations many women face regularly.

David has 18 years’ experience as a police officer and is currently completing a PhD in domestic abuse research. He is also a member of the University’s VAWG Hub, which connects professionals, police, and charities to improve support for victims of domestic and sexual abuse.

“Virtual reality gives us a safe environment to explore difficult situations. This app enables users to step directly into Zoe’s shoes and experience how quickly an ordinary evening can become intimidating,” David explained.

“The aim is to educate people about attitudes and behaviours towards women and girls by providing a first-hand experience of the harassment many women encounter daily.”

The app will now be trialled with TKO Consulting, as well as local schools, colleges and businesses, before being rolled out more widely. The team also plans to evaluate its impact through research and hopes to incorporate it into teaching across University degree programmes.