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Draft speaking notes – speech to the RE Council Speech 3rd May 2023 Thank you so much. It’s a pleasure to be here with you today to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the RE Council.   I qualified as an RE teacher in 1991, after my degree in Theology and Philosophy at Heythrop College, University of London […]

I recently set out my areas of focus on education in our 2023-24 Business Plan. My ambition is to make schools places where children want to be, and a site of wider support. For those with additional needs or at risk of falling behind, support needs to accessible in every school across the country and […]

This week children across the country will be returning to school for the summer term. I hope that all students and teachers enjoyed a well-deserved rest and are feeling energised and ready to learn, catch up with friends, get back to extra-curricular activities and sports, and take on summer exams.   I would like to extend […]

Looking to a new business year, I have been reflecting on children and young people’s lives over the last couple of years and thinking about everything they have told me since I have become Children’s Commissioner. When I started in role, the impact of Covid and children’s lives returning to normal was at the forefront […]

Earlier this week, the Government set out spending measures in its spring Budget, which contained a number of commitments targeted specifically at children and young people: Childcare The Government has announced that £4.1 billion will be made available by 2027-2028 to deliver 30 hours of free childcare for eligible working parents of children aged from […]

Good morning everyone – thank you for inviting me today. I am delighted to be speaking to you all for the second year in a row. Virtual School Heads are immensely important, and I want to thank all of you for your commitment to making sure children receive the best possible education. As Children’s Commissioner […]

When I became Children’s Commissioner, one of my first actions was to carry out The Big Ask survey. I wanted to understand, as we were emerging from the shadow of the pandemic, what children wanted for their futures, and what worries were holding them back. It was clear from the responses to that survey, as […]

The Department for Education (DfE) has today published the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and Alternative Provision Improvement Plan (hereafter the Plan). The Plan sets out how DfE intends to deliver ‘a single national system that delivers consistently for every child and young person with SEND and in alternative provision’. The review of the […]

Today marks the second anniversary of my appointment as Children’s Commissioner for England, and what a two years it has been! What began with The Big Ask, which received over half a million responses (making it the largest ever survey of children and young people in the country), has led to a vision for supporting […]

This week I was fortunate to meet and talk to four teenagers representing the Disabled Children’s Partnership’s Youth Advisory Group: Harshi, Amber, Sam and Udi. These four articulate young people have a range of learning support needs, disabilities and long-term health needs, and have had experience of both the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) […]

In The Big Ask, children told me how important teachers are. They also told me that school is the place they want to receive support if they need it. Children explained the importance of being in a nurturing and supportive environment for them to thrive in future. I really want to learn even if it’s […]

Good morning everyone and thank you so much for that introduction and to Waddesdon School and all the schools who performed today, you are amazing. Now there’s a bit of a theme going on today. I was taught by nuns too, Gillian. My nuns were at St Bede’s Comprehensive, Scunthorpe, I’ll never forget them, they’ve […]