16Jun 2020 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Governmentt must go beyond u-turn on free school meals to give every child best start

Parliamentary news
Responding to the Prime Minister’s u-turn on free school meals, Liberal Democrat Education spokesperson Layla Moran said: “Too many vulnerable children face falling through the cracks. I am grateful to Marcus Rashford and all those campaigners who have helped force the Prime Minister to rediscover his conscience, but it should never have been needed. "The Government must now work cross-party and with parents, teachers and local governments to do more. We must ensure no child is left behind. "That starts with Liberal Democrat proposals to combine the free school meals voucher scheme with an emergency uplift in child benefit and a ‘catch-up premium’ to ensure every child has the best start in life.”
Read More
20Apr 2020 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Lack of support means laptop offer will fail to help those who need it

Parliamentary news
Responding to the announcement that disadvantaged pupils in England will be able to borrow laptops to study online while schools are closed, Liberal Democrat Education Spokesperson Layla Moran said: “The announcement, which will help disadvantaged and vulnerable pupils to learn alongside their peers, is of course welcome. But there's an elephant in the room: we don't even know who all the vulnerable and disadvantaged children, who need more support and help, are.  “The Government needs to do much more to try and locate these vulnerable children, otherwise the help they are offering will be futile. With so many families being plunged into financial uncertainty overnight, there are thousands of families desperately in need of support who are not on the Government's radar. “The Government must also agree to an increase in child benefit,…
Read More