Recent DfE data highlights ongoing concerns around pupils’ sense of safety, enjoyment and belonging at school, and also reveals that many children continue to face online harm and bullying, reinforcing the need for proactive, school‑led support for kindness and inclusion.

Premier League Primary Stars is championing kindness, allyship and inclusion with their Active Allies resource plus, teachers who download the free resource before 8 May will receive:

• 10 free Active Allies wristbands to recognise pupils who demonstrate allyship in action
• A teacher guide to support inclusive conversations and reflection in class

The free downloadable Active Allies resource helps pupils explore:

• What allyship looks like in school, from including others in play to supporting classmates.
• How kindness builds community, encouraging pupils to reflect on their impact on peers.
• How to recognise allyship in others, building empathy and noticing positive behaviour.
• Simple strategies for being an ally, including practical approaches pupils can use during lessons, play times and group work.

The resource includes discussion prompts, short activities and scenarios designed for flexible use, whether in PSHE, assemblies or pastoral sessions.

The Active Allies wristbands give teachers a tangible tool to celebrate positive behaviour and reinforce inclusion. Used alongside the classroom resource, they help pupils:

• Develop empathy and social awareness
• Build stronger relationships
• Understand the importance of standing up for others
• Contribute to a welcoming, supportive school environment.

Wristbands are limited to the first 300 teachers to download the resource.

The initiative aligns with Premier League Primary Stars’ mission to support children’s personal development through curriculum‑linked learning and the positive influence of sport.

The initiative aims to boost reading for pleasure by providing curated audio story playlists to enrich morning sessions, reduce staff workload, and spark children’s enjoyment of books, and has been shared with schools via the UK Literacy Association (UKLA) and Read for Good Networks.

The trial offers schools:

• Curated playlists of short audiobooks from HarperCollins Children’s Books, Farshore, and Barrington Stoke, specifically selected for breakfast club sessions.
• Easy, no-cost access via the Glose platform, ensuring secure streaming for use in school.
• A stress-free enrichment option that helps children settle positively for the school day.
• An opportunity to win free print books for the school library in exchange for brief feedback on pupil engagement.

Regular reading is linked to improvements in attainment, wellbeing, and empathy. With reading for pleasure in long-term decline, this trial will explore whether listening to audiobooks in the morning increases pupils’ interest in stories, motivation to read and overall wellbeing.

HarperCollins UK Consumer Insight Director, Alison David, stated, “Breakfast clubs reach children at a crucial point in the day. By integrating high-quality storytelling into their routine, we can help children discover the joy of reading in an accessible way. This trial reflects our commitment to championing reading for pleasure for children,
during the National Year of Reading 2026 and beyond.”

The initiative reflects HarperCollins UK’s decade-plus leadership in reading for pleasure research and developing practical programmes across schools and communities aimed at reversing the decline in reading for pleasure by embedding reading into existing routines.

The report shows that pupil commuting accounts for 21% of a school’s total carbon footprint, making it the largest individual contributor – ahead of electricity use, which represents 11%, and any other single emission category. When expanded to include staff travel, school vehicles and school trips, transport generates around 40% of total school emissions. Taken together, this means that the full transport footprint of a school now outweighs the emissions from heating and powering its buildings, which together make up 27%.

The hot school dinner emerges as one of the most significant contributors to emissions within the school gates – and the largest individual contributor for primary schools – accounting for around 16% of a school’s carbon footprint (rising to 21% for primary schools). With 73% of meals recorded as omnivorous, 23% vegetarian and only 4% plant-based, the report suggests that small adjustments towards plant-forward menus could have a meaningful impact on overall emissions, providing a direct and practical route for schools to make measurable progress for climate action.

Drawing on data from more than 1,600 primary and secondary schools, the Count Your Carbon report provides the most comprehensive picture to date of emissions across England’s education sector. The findings challenge long-held assumptions that school carbon footprints are driven mainly by buildings and energy use, and point instead to everyday operational decisions – particularly around travel, food and procurement – that sit at the heart of school life and community engagement.

As a whole, secondary schools record the highest total emissions due to their size and operational complexity, with a typical secondary emitting 1,031 tCO₂e per year, the equivalent of almost 300 economy return flights from London to Hong Kong, and five times more total carbon than the average primary (204 tCO₂e).

Rising car dependency, longer travel distances and limited alternatives mean the carbon cost of getting pupils to school has quietly overtaken some of the most energy-intensive activities within the school itself. Currently, across all school types, an average of 42% of pupils travel by car and only 9% utilise public transport, indicating that coordinated action with local authorities and transport planners is needed to reduce emissions.

Energy use within the school buildings adds significantly to emissions, with electricity contributing 11%. The fact that only 15% of schools are currently purchasing 100% renewable electricity suggests a real opportunity for schools to reduce their carbon footprint further by switching providers/tariffs. Encouragingly, close to 22% of schools indicated onsite self-generation of renewable electricity – such as via solar panels. Fuel contributes a further 16%, with 87% of schools relying on gas as their primary heating source, emphasising the ongoing importance of building energy efficiency and heat decarbonisation initiatives in educational settings.

While capital investment in buildings remains important, the report shows that many of the emissions schools are responsible for, particularly travel, food and procurement, sit outside of traditional estates management and have historically been difficult to measure. Keep Britain Tidy and Eco-Schools’ Count Your Carbon tool is the UK’s first free, full-scope carbon footprint calculator, built for – and in collaboration with – nurseries, schools and colleges. It supports educational settings to calculate, understand, reduce and track carbon emissions. This gives schools the data they need to meet the DfE expectations, prioritise action and embed sustainability across leadership, operations and learning. Importantly, it also contains recommendations on how schools can take action to reduce carbon emissions, build a carbon reduction plan and monitor progress over time.

The data also highlights stark differences between communities. Rural schools have the highest carbon intensity (22 % higher than an urban school), producing almost one tonne (0.99) of CO₂ per pupil per year due to longer travel distances and limited alternatives to car travel. By contrast, suburban schools generate 0.84 and urban schools generate an average of 0.81 tCO₂e per pupil, reflecting shorter journeys and better access to public and active travel.

Under the Department for Education’s Sustainability and Climate Change Strategy, which includes a target 50% reduction in schools’ carbon footprint by 2032, all schools in England were expected to have a Climate Action Plan in place by 2025. These plans must set out how schools will reduce emissions, improve energy efficiency, promote sustainable travel, adapt to climate risks and make more sustainable procurement choices.

Allison Ogden-Newton OBE, Chief Executive at Keep Britain Tidy said: “Our inaugural Count Your Carbon report shows that schools have an extraordinary opportunity to lead on climate action through everyday changes that pupils can engage with directly. Schools often prioritise recycling, but to meaningfully address climate change they must focus more on transport, energy use and purchasing decisions.

“We’re urging every school to sign up to our free Count Your Carbon tool to empower them to cut emissions and protect their pupils’ futures. The tool simplifies complex data into clear, practical actions for schools and families. When young people see how their travel, meals and school environment affect the climate, they become powerful advocates for change.”

The display honours those who have served in the Armed Forces and creates a striking public tribute for the local community.

The initiative was part of a collaborative partnership with Connecting Crewe BID and supported by Crewe Town Council.

Principal and CEO at Cheshire College, Jasbir Dhesi OBE said:

“We are incredibly proud of our Visual Arts students for creating such a meaningful tribute. It’s wonderful to see our students using their creativity to make a real difference in the heart of Crewe.”

Kirsty Pettengell, Lecturer in Visual Arts at Cheshire College, commented: “The poppy illustrations are exceptional, demonstrating both individuality and a strong sense of purpose. Each student brought their own unique style while meeting the brief with professionalism and creativity.”

“I’m immensely proud of how well the students have embraced the project and the quality of their final designs, which are on public display across Crewe as part of the town’s Remembrance Day commemorations.”

Graphic Design student Leighton added: “This project was not only really good for our work experience, but also was a great opportunity to be able to create something that would not only show our appreciation and our respects to the fallen soldiers who fought for our country, but also allowed us to work on something that had a great meaning and importance to everyone.”

Graham Saunders, Chair of Crewe BID and General Manager of South Cheshire Glass, said: “Remembrance has always meant a lot to people in Crewe, and this display is a wonderful tribute from the next generation. The students have created something that brings art, respect and community together, and they should be really proud of what they’ve achieved.”

The project highlights Cheshire College’s commitment to community engagement, providing students with practical experience in creativity, design, and project planning while strengthening local partnerships that enrich Crewe and celebrate important cultural events.

Cheshire College encourages organisations and community groups interested in future collaborative projects to contact the College to explore partnership opportunities.

Receiving good nutrition during childhood lays the foundation for a healthy life, but it is education about food that truly empowers children to make informed choices and foster lifelong healthy habits.

To help support schools provide pupils with effective and impactful food education, school meals provider, apetito have launched a suite of free lesson plans titled ‘Mission Nutrition’. The first in the series are a set of Key Stage Two Lesson plans, which are now available for all schools partnering with apetito.

These have been created by apetito’s in-house Dietitians, Chefs and Nutritionists with the aim of creating educational content in line with the national curriculum that support teachers when delivering lessons on food and nutrition.

Head Development Chef at apetito, Jethro Lawrence explains why educating pupils about food is so critical: “It is so important for our children to be educated about how nutritious food can be delicious. The benefit of knowing where certain ingredients come from can help develop important life skills. Food knowledge promotes healthy eating habits, enhances cognitive skills, encourages children to try new flavours and builds their confidence around food.”

Rupert Weber, General Manager for Education at apetito, says: “As a company with lots of in-house nutritional and dietetic expertise, we are passionate about supporting schools to effectively educate their pupils on food and nutrition.

“Children spend a considerable amount of their time at school, which makes it the ideal place for them to learn about nutrition and foster good food habits. Through the Mission Nutrition resources, we want to support and empower teachers to give pupils a hands-on understanding of the importance of having a balanced diet, and ultimately, ensure that pupils develop healthy eating habits to support their health and wellbeing.”

Children from Bolton and Liverpool schools received a donation as part of the NSPCC’s Kindness Challenge, a week dedicated to spreading kindness in school communities.

Schools involved included Smithdown Primary, St Austins Catholic Primary, Smithdown Primary, Gwladys Street Primary, Red Lane Primary and Markland Primary.

A co-branded van delivered a “pick and mix” stationery shop full of YPO products to schools. Children from each class were able to then select items for their classrooms, including glue sticks, exercise books and pens.

The giveaway is part of a wider collaboration between YPO and the NSPCC, who have worked in partnership since 2022 to support communities across the country, including fundraising through YPO product-range sales.

YPO’s Managing Director Simon Hill announced that the partnership would run for the next three years at the YPO Supplier Summit earlier this year.

Speaking on the partnership, YPO Managing Director Simon Hill, said: “We’re delighted to carry on working with the NSPCC to protect children and young people across the UK. Our successful partnership has already raised a significant sum of money as well as valuable awareness for the charity. It’s a fantastic example of how we can all collaborate to benefit children. We look forward to continuing these efforts in the years ahead.”

Philippe Galland, Brand Manager at YPO, said on this latest donation: “We’re celebrating our highly successful partnership with the NSPCC in this campaign. Through this campaign, and our broader partnership, we want to reflect our shared commitment to bringing the best possible equipment to schools and enrich education communities. In doing this, we can ensure children have access to important information and opportunity to learn.”

Fay Purves, NSPCC Corporate Partnerships Manager, said: “We are hugely grateful to everyone at YPO for their continued support in highlighting Childline at schools across the country and raising vital funds for the service.

“The new school term can often leave children feeling anxious or worried, so events like the Kindness Challenge can be a terrific way to nurture positivity in schools while raising vital funds to ensure Childline can be here for children whenever they need support.”

Through branded product sales and staff fundraising, YPO has generated more than £114,000 in NSPCC contributions to date. This latest £1,500 value donation of YPO products was shared between schools across Lancashire, Merseyside and Yorkshire.

Experts from the University will be working with Bede Academy in Bylth to help develop and support the creation and delivery of a new Digital T Level to develop the skills students need to flourish in the digital and IT sector.

T Levels are technical qualifications in England designed in collaboration with employers as an alternative to A Levels and apprenticeships. They combine classroom learning with work placements to provide students with the knowledge and practical skills to enter a skilled job, continue to an apprenticeship, or pursue higher education.

This partnership will see the University offer a range of support for Bede Academy, including staff training, guidance on developing curriculum and further collaborations for student-facing teaching.

David Lloyd, Head of Sixth Form at Bede Academy, said: “We are absolutely thrilled to be embarking on this partnership to develop and deliver a Digital T Level course with the University of Sunderland.

“This will serve to increase our offer to our students, widening participation and success within our community in this growing industry. This will also help cement our ability to support our students towards the very best higher-level careers and training in our locality and beyond.”

Charlotte Wheatland, Director of Home Student Recruitment at the University of Sunderland, said: “‘This is a fantastic way to demonstrate what the University of Sunderland stands for – working in partnership with education providers in the north-east to support young people to get the skills needed to be successful in the jobs of the future. We’re so excited to work with Bede Academy on this project.”

The partnership was launched at an event at Bede Academy (15 September) where Bede students got the chance to see the University’s robots in action with a live demonstration as well as ask questions to current Sunderland students about their time at the University.

Dr Derek Dixon, Interim Head of School of Computer Science and Engineering at the University of Sunderland, said: “This represents the beginning of an exciting partnership between the School of Computer Science and Engineering and Bede Academy.

“The opportunity to work on a new project with both staff and students from Bede for the benefit of the student experience is something which we’re hoping is transformational for everyone. Our facilities and expertise are there to be shared with the whole community.”

The partnership is expected to continue for at least three years to ensure the development of the course and support for its delivery.

Caerphilly County Borough Council’s Cabinet unanimously approved the amalgamation proposals, following a formal consultation period where no objections to the plans were raised. The merger will come into effect in September 2025.

The current school sites will remain in operation but function as a single primary school campus. The school sites are located on opposite sides of St Cenydd Road, Caerphilly. There are no proposed changes to the existing shared catchment arrangements.

Cllr Carol Andrews, Caerphilly Council’s Cabinet Member for Education, said “Hendre Junior and Infants Schools have been collaborating for several years. The amalgamation formalises these arrangements and follows strong support from both school communities.”

Sustrans’ Big Walk and Wheel, sponsored by Schwalbe Tyres UK Limited, takes place from 24th March to 4th April 2025 and inspires children across the country to make active journeys, boosting physical and mental health, improving air quality and discovering how individual actions make a difference.

The challenge is open to all primary and secondary schools in the UK, including special educational needs, additional support needs and additional learning needs schools. It is free to take part and there are daily prizes to be won.

New research by Sustrans reveals that while, positively, 62% of children walk, wheel or scoot five or more days a week, more than half (54%) travel by car or van five or more days a week.

Rachel Toms, Director of Urbanism and UK Programmes at Sustrans, says: “People want a choice in how they get around, and the popularity of Sustrans’ Big Walk and Wheel is testament to the many benefits of travelling actively – from improved health and concentration in children to a reduction in congestion and air pollution.

“Our latest research gives us a clear picture: children want to walk and cycle. Sustrans is committed to working with communities to overcome existing travel barriers and the Big Walk and Wheel is a catalyst for change.

“It’s so inspiring to see the many thousands of children from schools across the country who participate, and we can’t wait to see this year’s Big Walk and Wheel transform the school run.”

Sustrans’ research also highlights a significant gender gap among children cycling, with only 17% of girls cycling five or more times a week compared to 28% of boys.

The report shows children want to travel more actively and identifies huge potential to improve access to cycling, enabling more girls and boys to cycle at a young age and reap the long-term health, economic and social benefits.

The Big Walk and Wheel supports children and their families to choose walking, wheeling, scooting or cycling for the journey to school and form habits that can last a lifetime.

There are resources for schools and those taking part in the competition, as well as prizes on offer for primary and secondary schools that log their pupils’ active journeys to school.

Tim Ward, UK Marketing Manager of Schwalbe Tyres, says: “Now in our fourth year of supporting Big Walk & Wheel, we are tremendously encouraged by how much this event has developed and progressed since we started our involvement with this valuable initiative.

“The focus that Big Walk & Wheel brings to encouraging both school children and parents alike to actively consider and participate in sustainable transport efforts cannot be underestimated. Pollution aside, we are all aware of the amount of traffic congestion that can be associated with the school run, especially in dense urban areas.

“Encouraging children to travel to school in a sustainable way, whether in organised groups such as the Bike Bus concept that we support with the ‘FRideDays’ bike bus initiative, or individually, can ultimately only benefit the health and wellbeing of everyone.”

Sustrans’ recent report shows there is still a heavy reliance on cars and vans for getting to school. It also reveals the majority of pupils (82% of primary-aged children and 79% of secondary) support more traffic-free paths for walking, wheeling and cycling.

The brainchild of Professor James Ohene-Djan, Professor of Computer Science at Goldsmiths University, MiCode allows students to securely store and instantly share vital medical information, potentially saving lives in critical situations and ensuring appropriate care during mental health crises.

“Born from our family’s own experiences with complex medical needs, MiCode empowers students and equips university staff, the emergency services, and caregivers with crucial information,” explains Professor Ohene-Djan. “We believe it can be a game-changer, particularly for students navigating their health independently. MiCode can reduce response times, lead to more accurate diagnoses, and ultimately improve student outcomes.”

The launch of MiCode addresses a significant vulnerability. Key Findings from the MiCode Study reveal that over half (56%) of UK adults do not carry their own emergency medical information, and 54% are unsure even of their own blood type.* This widespread lack of preparedness is further compounded by significant knowledge gaps regarding loved ones’ health, with 63% not knowing their loved ones’ allergies, 77% unaware of their blood types, 56% uninformed about their current medications, and 61% lacking knowledge of their medical conditions.

Students, often managing health conditions independently for the first time, are particularly at risk. MiCode empowers them to create secure digital profiles containing crucial medical details, including allergies, conditions, medications, blood type, and emergency contacts. This information is linked to a unique QR code easily displayed on a phone, medical bracelet, or wallet card, enabling immediate access for first responders.

The importance of readily accessible medical information is amplified by the prevalence of mental health challenges among students. A House of Commons Library briefing (September 9, 2024) highlighted this issue, revealing that 57% of students self-report a mental health issue, with 27% reporting a diagnosed condition.

“These statistics underscore a critical vulnerability,” states Professor Ohene-Djan. “Access to students’ vital medical information, including mental health details, can be the difference between life and death. For a student experiencing a panic attack, MiCode can instantly provide first responders with information about their anxiety disorder, prescribed medications, and emergency contact details, enabling a more informed and compassionate response. If a student with a history of depression is found unresponsive, MiCode can alert paramedics to potential underlying mental health conditions, preventing misdiagnosis or inappropriate treatment. MiCode offers a simple yet powerful solution.”

The MiCode Study also found that on average, it takes 7.1 minutes to access emergency medical information, totaling over 71 minutes wasted per week**. 42% of emergency workers report it can take up to 10 minutes to access vital emergency information, with delays sometimes exceeding 20 minutes. This highlights the critical need for immediate access to vital information in emergency situations.