The CYP Now submitted a document yesterday that is entitled Conservative Party Conference 2023: Key discussions impacting children and young people and it was provided by Amrit Virdi and Fiona Simpson. The item can be obtained from here and they have focused on a number of themes and various Conservative MPs that have contributed. The initial few words were “The Conservative Party Conference is taking place in Manchester this week, with discussions around banning the use of mobile phones in schools, national living wage increases and university teaching set to affect the lives of children and young people.”
They focused on each of these themes in the document
Mobile phone ban in school – Education Secretary Gillian Keegan announced that the government will back headteachers in banning mobile phones in schools.
National living wage increase – Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt confirmed that the national living wage will rise to two thirds of average earnings, making it at least £11 an hour from April 2024.
Access to education – Gillian Keegan said the aim was “to get children into school and to stay in school, and we need to work together to make this happen”.
Changes to post-16 qualifications – Prime Minister Rishi Sunak used the conference to announce plans to introduce a Baccalaureate-style replacement for A-levels and T-levels.
University disruption – Gillian Keegan announced at the conference that the Government will launch a consultation on “minimum service levels” in universities “have the tools to make sure that students get the teaching they deserve”.
Cracking down on smoking – Rishi Sunak announced proposals to increase age restrictions on buying tobacco every year in a bid to stop sales entirely.
They provided a lot more content than I have included and they also include these contacts
CYP Now rounds up policy announcements that could have the greatest impact on the sector.
ianchisnall 