Set new guidance and requirements for animals in early years settings
- Final Signatures: 59
Animals are used in nurseries and pre-schools as “pets” or demonstrations. We believe welfare standards for these animals are often not met, such as adequate food and housing, and long-term care provision. We want new guidance and requirements, including for lifelong care plans, to be introduced.
Found: Animals are used in nurseries and pre-schools as “pets” or demonstrations.
Mentions:
1: Lord Leigh of Hurley (Con - Life peer) Does my noble friend agree that these demonstrations, with anti-Semitic slogans and rhetoric calling - Speech Link
2: Baroness Penn (Con - Life peer) There is no place on British streets for demonstrations, convoys or flag-waving that glorify terrorism - Speech Link
3: Lord Singh of Wimbledon (XB - Life peer) to tackle the underlying ignorance on which prejudice thrives by stressing, in the teaching of RE in schools - Speech Link
4: Baroness Penn (Con - Life peer) We should emphasise that, particularly in our schools. - Speech Link
5: Lord Bishop of Chichester (Bshp - Bishops) time when we urgently need to promote interfaith dialogue and the expansion of religious literacy in schools - Speech Link
Mentions:
1: Tom Tugendhat (Con - Tonbridge and Malling) The purpose of schools, as I am sure we can all agree, is to educate our children and to teach students - Speech Link
2: Dan Jarvis (Lab - Barnsley Central) that where there are public order offences, hate crime offences or terrorist offences on marches and demonstrations - Speech Link
3: Desmond Swayne (Con - New Forest West) Having organised a number of demonstrations myself, I am nervous at the prospect of being invited to - Speech Link
4: Alistair Carmichael (LD - Orkney and Shetland) The Government have tabled late amendments to the Criminal Justice Bill involving the policing of demonstrations - Speech Link
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to help prevent children taking part in anti-Israel demonstrations during school times.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
While the department wants all want young people to be engaged in the issues that affect them and the wider world, the government is crystal clear that missing school for political activism is unacceptable and should not be condoned.
The department has been monitoring events closely and has written to all schools and local authorities supporting headteachers and teachers in taking firm action. Schools and local authorities should set clear expectations to parents on attendance, confirming that absence for this kind of activity should be treated as unauthorised. The department has been clear that school leaders and local authorities should be enforcing attendance policies, and they should take immediate action where these policies have been breached. In the most egregious cases this can mean fines or prosecution. The department has shared this communication with Ofsted to ensure all inspectors are clear on the position.
This does not mean shutting down appropriate and sensitive discussions about these issues. It is important that children are taught about global events and that they are encouraged to think about how these events affect them and their communities. Schools offer children the opportunity to do that in a safe and controlled environment, but the law is clear that schools must remain politically impartial. Schools must not promote partisan political views and should ensure the balanced treatment of political issues. The department has published clear and comprehensive guidance which should help those working with and in schools to better understand legal duties on political impartiality. The guidance can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/political-impartiality-in-schools.
Mentions:
1: Lord Palmer of Childs Hill (LD - Life peer) in the UK to protect the people of those schools. - Speech Link
2: Lord Sharpe of Epsom (Con - Life peer) This extends to our schools, colleges and universities. - Speech Link
3: Baroness Lawlor (Con - Life peer) should go without the sanction of the law.The noble Lord, Lord Palmer, referred to the pro-Palestine demonstrations - Speech Link
4: Baroness Fox of Buckley (Non-affiliated - Life peer) the phrase “Free Palestine”, and I do not want to give the Minister any more excuses to clamp down on demonstrations - Speech Link
Asked by: Baroness Deech (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the adequacy of the responses by the University and College Union and relevant university authorities to complaints by students of anti-Semitism and violence perpetrated by fellow students and staff.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department is deeply concerned about the growth in antisemitic incidents on campus since the 7 October terrorist attacks against Israel and this government takes antisemitism extremely seriously. Departmental officials have assessed evidence of antisemitism and racial hatred linked to incidents at English universities. There is an online "Reporting Extremism" page from where members of the public can raise concerns to the department directly. Where concerns have arisen, officials have reached out to relevant universities to understand what actions they have taken, including reporting issues to the police where appropriate.
The department is also concerned to see antisemitic motions being passed at some universities. The department urges universities to crack down on inflammatory, politically motivated displays of support for a proscribed terrorist organisation, and on demonstrations which make Jewish staff and students feel unsafe.
My right hon. Friend, The Secretary of State for Education and my right hon. Friend, the Minister for Skills, Apprenticeships and Higher Education (HE), wrote to all schools, colleges and universities on 11 October, urging them to respond swiftly to hate-related incidents and actively reassure Jewish students that they can study without fear of harassment or intimidation. Minister Halfon wrote again to Vice Chancellors on 16 November, further emphasising the use of disciplinary measures and the importance of police engagement, as well as the suspension of student visas where the student is a foreign national and requested that the universities review its policies and procedures to ensure that they remain fit for purpose at this challenging time. This was one of the key actions set out in the five-point plan for tackling antisemitism in HE, which was published on 5 November. A link to more information can be found here: https://educationhub.blog.gov.uk/2023/11/05/how-were-protecting-jewish-students-on-university-campuses/.
Nov. 01 2023
Source Page: £9 million for a pioneering education centre in The Valleys (Levelling Up Fund 2)Found: Support for local schools Schools across Blaenau Gwent and the Heads of the Valley primary and secondary
Mentions:
1: Carlaw, Jackson (Con - Eastwood) which has been lodged by Philipa Jackson, is on changing the way in which gender theory is presented in schools - Speech Link
2: Torrance, David (SNP - Kirkcaldy) the basis that the Scottish Government is clear that guidance to support transgender young people in schools - Speech Link
3: Carlaw, Jackson (Con - Eastwood) seekers and refugees, from harassment and intimidation.The petition has been prompted by concerns about demonstrations - Speech Link
Oral Evidence Dec. 06 2023
Committee: Home Affairs Committee (Department: Home Office)Found: There have been instances in schools where children are referred to Prevent simply for wearing a
Written Evidence Jan. 17 2024
Committee: Home Affairs Committee (Department: Home Office)Found: 7th of October 2023 to the 17th of December 2023, 26,121 officer shifts have been needed to police demonstrations