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.”

With the way children learn outpacing the historic education framework, this new model vows to shake up the system by using AI-enhanced learning models that enable children from age 8 to learn up to three times faster than traditional methods.

And with 59% of parents supporting schools to use AI to enhance learning, the model offers parents a modern choice that prepares their children for the world they will grow up in, not the one left behind.

Every primary school age student will learn statutory core curriculum mastery in the morning (including English, Maths, Science, Computing, Languages), followed by applied, interdisciplinary learning in the afternoon, covering life skills application such as financial literacy, entrepreneurship, public speaking and real-world problem-solving.

Structured around mastery rather than age and year groups, Inspired Edge Academy is designed to build on and comply with local market national curriculums, but reflect the reality of how different children progress, equipping pupils with the skills they need for the world of tomorrow.

The first early-access programme will open in Central London in January 2027, followed by Lisbon, Milan, Madrid, Mexico City, São Paulo and Auckland from September of that year. The programme is designed by Inspired Education, a global group of 125 premium schools educating over 95,000 students worldwide.

The structure is designed to build confidence, curiosity and joy in learning, alongside achievement, and responds directly to parents’ desires for AI and cyber security skills taught in the curriculum.

Nadim Nsouli, Founder of Inspired and Edge Academy, said: “Education must evolve to reflect the world children are growing up in. The traditional classroom structure was designed for another era, when information was scarce and learning moved at a single pace for everyone.

Inspired Edge Academy represents a new model for primary education, with a broader set of focus areas, that could see children learn how to build a drone or run an Airbnb. Most importantly, progression will be based on mastery rather than age. Every child learns differently, and education should adapt to the learner, not the other way around.”

Mike Lambert, Global Education Director, Inspired Education, said: “Children do not learn at the same pace, but conventional classrooms often expect them to. Inspired Edge Academy changes that by allowing pupils to move forward when they have mastered the material, while ensuring those who need more support receive it. The national curriculum remains our foundation, but the programme builds far beyond it, equipping children with the academic knowledge, confidence and life skills they will rely on throughout their lives.”

The personalised learning is curated thanks to an assisted learning programme developed with AI technology from CENTURY Tech. Priya Lakhani OBE, Founder and CEO, CENTURY Tech, said: “Education needs a model that reflects the world children are growing up in – one that offers parents greater choice and helps every learner go further. Edge combines a focus on mastery and memorisation with a commitment to curiosity and creativity. It raises the floor for those who need support and lifts the lid on what’s possible for every child.”

The first early-access preview programme will open in January 2027 in Central London attached to an existing school, but as a separate program with its own educators and learning space within the campus. In other markets, Inspired Edge Academies will have their own dedicated campuses.

The competition challenges pupils to think about how outdoor spaces can be used not just for fun, but also to support learning, social interaction and physical activity. The winning school will receive a playground created by Project Playgrounds, helping to turn children’s ideas into a real, engaging play environment.

Built around the concept of “play with purpose”, the competition aims to highlight how well-designed playgrounds can support key developmental skills. From numeracy through number grids and counting games, to teamwork through social play zones, and physical wellbeing through fitness trails, playground markings can help children learn while they play.

Children will be encouraged to think creatively about how their playground could include:

• Games that support maths and problem-solving
• Areas that encourage social interaction and teamwork
• Fitness zones that promote active, healthy lifestyles
• Inclusive designs that allow all children to take part

Jonathan Hamp, Joint Managing Director at Thermapply Group, commented, “At Thermapply, our focus is simple: make every step safer, and every play space more purposeful. We believe playgrounds should inspire movement, creativity and learning. This competition gives children the opportunity to shape the spaces they use every day, while helping schools see the real value of play that supports education, wellbeing and social development.”

With nearly two decades of experience and more than 3,000 school installations across the UK, the Project Playgrounds solution has helped transform outdoor areas into vibrant, engaging environments that encourage children to be active, imaginative and confident.

As a nationwide supplier and installer, Thermapply will deliver the winning playground design anywhere in mainland UK, ensuring schools from all regions have the chance to benefit from the competition.

Schools will be invited to submit pupil-designed playground concepts, showcasing how their ideal play space would support fun, learning and inclusion. Full entry details and timelines are available here: https://www.thermapply.co.uk/ppcomp

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.

It’s called the Bedford Accelerator Peer Review Network and is funded by The Harpur Trust’s Accelerator Programme, which has been set up by The Trust to support the improvement of educational outcomes in the borough.

Primary schools Carlton, Hazeldene, Kings Oak, Lakeview, Livingstone, Priory, Turvey, Westfield and Wilstead, are the first cohort taking part in the Peer Review programme which will be facilitated over a three-year period with further cohorts joining annually, working towards a self-sustaining Peer Review Network of Bedford Borough schools.

Caroline Downing, Head of Education Partnerships at The Harpur Trust, said: “We are delighted to launch the new network, following a successful peer review pilot carried out by the Bedford Borough Council.

“Having a clearly defined and purposeful peer review platform, where local school leaders visit each setting with a fresh set of challenging, yet supportive eyes, is really powerful. It can give senior leaders an opportunity to try new approaches, as well as offer school to school support.

“At the launch session the new network were really engaged with the process. It felt like we were building a real sense of community between the schools.”

At the launch event the principles, structure, format and expectations of how to review each other were explored.

Cori Bateman, CEO of the Pioneer Learning Trust, explained: “Peer reviewing is really powerful. Having the opportunity to hold up a mirror to your school and reflect is so valuable, but it has to be challenging, curious in nature and non-judgmental.

“At the launch the network of leaders appeared ready to open up the real issues within their schools with their peers, not just to showcase what is working well, but being honest and open to challenges, and forthcoming with suggestions and ideas.

“I’m very excited by the development of the new network and the impact this will have on the pupils in the borough. Emerging evidence shows that by working together in a structured way towards actions and outcomes, teachers and schools can improve faster and more sustainably.

“It enables a culture of continuous improvement and shared responsibility for outcomes across schools. This reduces variation in education provision and helps ensure all children have access to high quality education.”

Judith Lovely, Head of School Improvement for Bedford Borough Council, added: “It’s fantastic to see the leadership development pilot we carried out with a group of primary schools where peer reviewing worked really well, being developed into a three-year programme by The Harpur Trust and Pioneer Learning Trust, which will benefit pupils across the borough.We want to foster an environment with local schools where there is a collaborative feeling of collective responsibility to improve outcomes across Bedford.”

The survey indicates that more than three-quarters (80%) of primary school teachers are aware of at least one safeguarding incident linked to online safety in the past 12 months. Meanwhile, a third (36%) of teachers reported that safeguarding incidents, linked to online safety, had increased at their primary school.

Teaching online safety, often referred to as ‘safe use of technology’ in curriculum documents, is a requirement for schools across the UK. Yet the survey suggests effectively all primary teachers (98%) find it a challenge to teach.

The theme for Safer Internet Day 2025 is ‘Too good to be true’ encouraging young people to protect themselves from scams online. The survey covered this topic and indicates that a third (33%) of primary teachers said at least one child in their class had reported being a victim of an online scam. A third (35%) felt that the number of children being scammed each year was increasing, and the same number thought that artificial intelligence (AI) could contribute to making children more vulnerable to scams.

The survey also indicates that almost half (47%) of primary teachers want better teaching resources for online scams. To support teachers, BBC Teach is broadcasting a Live Lesson at 11am on Safer Internet Day (11 February). Inviting children from across the UK to participate in a fictional game, Scam Smashers, it will encourage them to use their detective skills to spot scams and solve online safety problems. The curriculum-linked lesson for 7 to 11 year olds is created in partnership with Childnet.

The survey asked primary teachers about the challenges children faced in talking about negative experiences online. Almost every respondent (99.8%) indicated that they felt children faced challenges and, selecting from a list of options, were most likely to say that they felt children were afraid of their friends finding out; unclear as to who they should speak to; and feel there is no point in reporting an incident as nothing will change.

Helen Foulkes, Head of BBC Education, said: “The survey indicates that teachers believe primary aged children are facing increasing challenges as they navigate their world online, and are often staying silent when encountering a negative experience. Teachers play a key role in keeping children safe online. But the pace of change, for instance with scams, means it’s incredibly hard to stay up to date. BBC Teach has brought together more than 100 resources covering every aspect of online safety. Together with a Live Lesson, they provide teachers and children with the tools that they need to be good online citizens.”

Survey indicates primary teachers want social media minimum ages raised

Social media use by primary aged children is a concern for primary teachers, the survey results suggest. Almost every respondent (99.5%) reported that at least one child in their class used social media*****.

Around half of teachers feel the minimum age requirements should be higher* for social media platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat (51%), for video platforms such as YouTube or Twitch (50%), and for communication apps such as WhatsApp (51%).

Apps such as WhatsApp used to have a minimum age requirement of 16. In 2024, it was reduced to 13. The survey suggests that just under a quarter (22%) of primary school teachers feel the minimum age requirement should be put back up to 16 years or older**. And a quarter (24%) feel the same for both social media and video platforms.

The survey indicates that primary school teachers feel social media platforms need to do more to protect children. They feel social media platforms should change how they use algorithms to display particular content and they want safety controls to not only be more accessible, but also easy to use. Furthermore, teachers want social media platforms to enable children’s accounts to be linked to their parent or carer’s accounts.

The survey suggests there was general confusion amongst primary teachers about the minimum age requirements for children to set up social media accounts. Only around 1 in 10 respondents answered correctly when asked about a range of platforms including TikTok (13%), Instagram (13%), and YouTube (11%). Around half thought the minimum age was 14 years or higher *** (51%, 52%, and 52% respectively). And around a third thought it was 12 years or younger**** (33%, 32%, and 33%).

Will Gardner, CEO of Childnet, said: “We are working closely with the BBC as we approach Safer Internet Day, the UK’s biggest celebration of online safety. The survey offers a valuable opportunity to hear from primary school teachers about their experiences and concerns in relation to online safety, as well as the support they require. We can all agree on the ever-increasing need to support young children in their lives online and the vital part schools and teachers play. The BBC and Safer Internet Day are working together to support teachers in fulfilling this role through the provision of practical, engaging, easy-to-use and up-to-date resources.”

Additional information from the survey suggests:

• Almost two-fifths (38%) of primary teachers feel it is hard to keep pace with the online scams faced by children.
• Respondents’ top three issues that make teaching online safety hard are: staying up to date, trying to fit online safety lessons into the school timetable, and not feeling confident to talk about the topic.
• Respondents found it hardest to find teaching resources about online safety and AI.
• All respondents reported that they cover online safety with their pupils.
• Of the 80% of primary teachers that were aware of at least one safeguarding incident linked to online safety, 47% said they were aware of more than one incident in the past 12 months.

The industry-first campaign sees the retailer donate 0.5% of the value of its customers’ shopping to a primary school of their choice every time they shop using Asda Rewards – with £7.5 million up for grabs in total. Signing up for the initiative is easy with customers simply required to opt into Cashpot for Schools in the app and select their school of choice. As well as encouraging parents to sign up, schools are encouraging their entire community to support them as the initiative is open to all.

An incredible 98% of the 22,000 state-funded primary schools in the UK have signed up to date. 42 schools already have over £1,000 of funding in their cashpots and over 2,000 are boasting cashpots over £500. This cash will go direct to schools for them to spend on whatever they need, to make a genuine difference. The campaign comes on the back of research that some parents are asked to give up to £138 per year to support their children’s schools, with the most significantly underfunded needs being school trips (64 per cent), books and learning materials (52 per cent), and sports equipment (50 per cent).

One of the highest school earners is Kilkeel Primary School in Northern Ireland who have a whopping £2,717.46 in their cashpot.

The Green Innovators primary programme is designed to engage, inspire and educate young people about future career opportunities within the green economy, as well as enhance their confidence and attitudes to learning. It will encourage participants to develop their sustainability knowledge, taking part in projects designed to inspire new and exciting ideas to help the planet.

The programme will bring together 100 educators and more than 120 volunteers from key businesses to inspire and engage over 4,000 primary school students aged 7-11 from 30 different schools across the region. Parental and carer involvement is also highly encouraged to help embed learning throughout the school ecosystem.

Environmental, Social, Governance (ESG) specialist Ahead Partnership has designed this collaborative programme with the West Yorkshire Combined Authority to feed into its wider ‘Growing Talent Greener Futures’ programme, a multi-year scheme which aims to connect secondary school students with the green agenda.

As well as boosting interest in careers that will support a greener future, the aim of the Green Innovators primary initiative is to break down gender and social stereotypes and provide engaging activities which connect young people to opportunities. It will launch this academic year and will run until March 2026.

Ahead Partnership and the Combined Authority are currently encouraging businesses from all areas of West Yorkshire’s sustainability sector to get involved by putting forward volunteers for the programme.

The impact of this latest investment into young people is set to support wider sustainability goals for the region. By promoting skills, interest and understanding of the green economy, the Combined Authority is investing in a stronger future talent pipeline to support it in implementing its net-zero by 2030 goals.

In a 2022 study from the Learning and Work Institute, more than three in five young people said they were passionate about sustainability, but said they had never heard of green jobs.

This underscores the critical need for early education on these topics, ensuring that young people can access opportunities within this vital sector and contribute to the UK’s overall climate change targets. It will also create a huge opportunity for young people to find out about the high-skilled, well-paid careers open to them that fit with their values and interests in sustainability.

Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire, said: “The future is green, so we’re investing now to ensure that young people in West Yorkshire have the skills and the opportunities they need to succeed.

“This collaborative initiative will raise aspirations and build confidence, while showcasing the strength and innovation of our region’s growing green economy.

“As we work to deliver net zero by 2038, we must continue to inspire and open doors for the next generation to thrive in a stronger, brighter West Yorkshire.”

Georgina Johnson, Programme Manager at Ahead Partnership, said: “We are incredibly excited to launch the Green Innovators Primary programme.

“We know it’s important to introduce opportunities to young people early. The OECD has found those as young as seven are having their career aspirations limited by harmful stereotypes. Programmes like this are crucial for helping them to think about their future goals and providing them with inspiring and diverse role models. We are committed to providing each young person with career guidance while they are on their education journey.

“Given the crucial role that green skills will play in all our futures, this brand-new programme couldn’t come at a better time, and is a fantastic way to inspire and provide meaningful opportunities for thousands of young people across West Yorkshire.”

The findings from BookTrust’s family survey data published this week, found that while 33 percent of seven-year-olds say they ‘love’ reading, this drops to 29% at age 10 and further declines to just a quarter (25 percent) by age 11. 

The survey results come shortly after it has been revealed that reading achievement for school pupils in England is higher than the international average but, shockingly, ranks in the bottom third of countries worldwide for childhood reading enjoyment.  

Almost 3000 primary school teachers in England were also surveyed by BookTrust. The survey found that teachers’ concern about levels of reading enjoyment among their pupils increases as children progress through primary school. Around 48% of Early Years Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1 teachers express concern over reading enjoyment levels in their class, this continues to rise to 63% of Key Stage 2 teachers.    

BookTrust research shows that children who enjoy reading tend to read by choice more often, for longer, and become more skilled readers and that focusing solely on functional literacy risks depriving children of the wider benefits of reading. 

Children who read regularly experience a wide range of immediate and lifelong benefits. These include improved speech and language skills, higher academic achievement, better mental well-being, enhanced social skills, and stronger relationships. Reading also fosters imagination, empathy, and creativity, it’s therefore vital that strategies to promote children’s reading enjoyment are prioritised. 

All 22,000 state funded UK primary schools are able to get involved and over £1.1 million has so far been raised, putting pounds back into primary schools.

The industry first campaign sees the retailer donate 0.5% of the value of its customers shopping to a primary school of their choice – every time they shop using Asda Rewards with over £7.5 million set to be raised.

The campaign comes on the back of research which found that parents are asked on average to donate £138 per year to support their children’s schools.

And 95 per cent of educators say a lack of funding has impacted learning at their school.

David Hills, chief customer officer at Asda, said: “I’m absolutely delighted that in just four days we’ve seen hundreds of thousands of customers sign up for the initiative – raising over £1.1 million pounds for primary schools across the UK.

“This money will make a huge difference to millions of children and Asda will continue to donate 0.5% of the value of our customers shopping to the school of their choice, when they shop with Asda Rewards, until the end of November – meaning there are millions more for us to invest.

“Please encourage all your friends and family to sign up to Asda Rewards and shop to support local primary schools in your area.”

Marie Louise Fisher, Chair of the PTA (Friends of St Mary’s) at St Marys Catholic Primary School in Chingford, said: “Our school signed up to Asda’s Cashpot for School initiative so we could help raise funds to purchase new PE equipment. We hope to purchase new football goals and netball posts, which will support our children with their development of physical education and enhance their health and well-being.

Since Monday, we’ve already raised £53.70 just from parents and the local community opting in on the Asda Rewards app. It’s so simple to do and I can’t believe that by people doing their normal weekly shop, our children are going to benefit massively – I would encourage everyone to sign up to a school in your local area, you’ve really nothing to lose.”

Schools and parents can also download assets to help raise more money for schools which includes, letters, newsletters, social cards, letter header, poster and leaflet at Cashpot for Schools toolkit | Parentkind.