This House notes with concern the findings of Zurich Municipal that 67 per cent of English schools are rated as poor for fire protection systems and that only 5 per cent of English schools are rated as excellent compared with 29 per cent of schools rated as excellent in Scotland; further notes that according to the study the five biggest fire risks are lack of fixed fire protection including sprinklers, building combustibility and lack of modern construction methods, fire detection, arson and housekeeping and smoking controls; commends regulations in Scotland and Wales, where sprinkler systems are legally required in all new and major refurbished schools; urges the Government to legislate to require the mandatory installation of sprinklers in new and major refurbished schools in England; and calls on the Department for Education to ensure the removal of combustible materials in schools such as classroom noticeboards that are not fire compliant and require them to be replaced with noticeboards that are fire safe to European BS EN 13501 class B standard.

This House notes with concern the findings of Zurich Municipal that 67 per cent of English schools are rated as poor for fire protection systems and that only 5 per cent of English schools are rated as excellent compared with 29 per cent of schools rated as excellent in Scotland;...

That this House notes that Parentkind's annual parent poll in 2019 shows 76 per cent of parents see the cost of sending children to school increasing; further notes that in addition to paying for school uniforms, many parents contribute to school funds, school clubs, trips and events; recognises that the poorest families are hit hardest by school funding pressures; is concerned at the disproportionate impact of sought donations upon parents of children eligible for free school meals; and calls on the Government to address and alleviate these pressures as a matter of urgency.

That this House notes that Parentkind's annual parent poll in 2019 shows 76 per cent of parents see the cost of sending children to school increasing; further notes that in addition to paying for school uniforms, many parents contribute to school funds, school clubs, trips and events; recognises that the...

This House notes that an estimated 900,000 pupils in the UK aged between five and 19 suffer from bowel and bladder problems such as bedwetting, constipation and soiling; observes that a recent study by YouGov found that among children aged 11 to 16 who experience such conditions, 30 per cent said that they have had to take time off school, 25 per cent said that they have struggled to concentrate in lessons, 27 per cent said that their school does not understand their bladder or bowel problems and 17 per cent said that they have missed lessons; is concerned that 22 per cent of those pupils polled are only allowed to use the toilet during break time, 50 per cent rely on the discretion of the teacher to go to the toilet during lesson time, 40 per cent only use the toilet when desperate and 5 per cent avoid using school toilets altogether; is further concerned about the potential effect of this situation on the health, education and basic dignity of pupils; and urges Ministers to review policy and practice in this area, to issue updated guidance to schools on the appropriate management of continence issues and to provide the resources to ensure that such guidance can be fully implemented and monitored.

This House notes that an estimated 900,000 pupils in the UK aged between five and 19 suffer from bowel and bladder problems such as bedwetting, constipation and soiling; observes that a recent study by YouGov found that among children aged 11 to 16 who experience such conditions, 30 per cent...

That this House notes the ongoing issue that many families around the country face regarding the cost of school uniforms; further notes the findings of The Children’s Society study entitled The Wrong Blazer from 2018 which showed that one million children live in families across England who are getting into debt to meet the rising cost of school uniforms; acknowledges that in many communities secondary school uniforms are being provided by one supplier with the effect that the monopoly on that particular uniform stagnates price competition; is concerned that this has been especially problematic in the past few years with the introduction of academies and other schools causing families to purchase a whole new uniform causing further financial hardship; and calls upon the Government to make school uniforms a non-profit business, so that the price of uniforms can fall and relieve a financial burden to many families across the country.

That this House notes the ongoing issue that many families around the country face regarding the cost of school uniforms; further notes the findings of The Children’s Society study entitled The Wrong Blazer from 2018 which showed that one million children live in families across England who are getting into...

That this House notes that a full school uniform can now cost hundreds of pounds, with costs continuing to rise; further notes that the Government has not issued the statutory guidance on school uniforms that was announced in 2015; is deeply concerned by the increasing financial pressure on parents caused by welfare changes, cuts to tax credits, the growth of low-wage, insecure work, the effect of cuts on school budgets and the reduced availability of school uniform grants due to local government cuts; believes that schools should be properly funded by central Government and not be forced to use school uniforms to raise funds; further believes that school uniforms should not be cost-prohibitive for parents or a source of excessive profits for private companies; and urges the Government to end austerity, reverse cuts to school budgets and implement statutory guidance to ensure the availability of affordable school uniforms, including options such as sew-on logos that can be applied to generic uniforms.

That this House notes that a full school uniform can now cost hundreds of pounds, with costs continuing to rise; further notes that the Government has not issued the statutory guidance on school uniforms that was announced in 2015; is deeply concerned by the increasing financial pressure on parents caused...

That this house welcomes the Government's announcement of period poverty funding which will fight stigma around menstruation and provide free period products in primary and secondary schools across England; notes that 4.3 billion disposable menstrual products are used in the UK every year and an estimated 2.5 million tampons and 1.4 million sanitary towels are flushed down the toilet every day; is concerned that the period poverty funding could be spent on brands which contain up to 90% plastic that ends up in landfill and the sea and takes centuries to break down; is gravely concerned that marine wildlife is at serious risk from plastic pollution with our oceans at crisis point; notes that during the Marine Conservation Society Great British Beach Clean 2018, on the 294 beaches across England that were cleaned and surveyed, volunteers found on average 249 tampon applicators and 242 panty liners; calls on the Government to set out that the definition of an appropriate range of period products as referred to in the recently published invitation to tender for the procurement of free sanitary products in schools means eco-friendly, sustainable tampons and pads and the inclusion of reusable menstrual products; and urges the Government not to miss this opportunity to tackle period poverty and the single use plastic crisis simultaneously.

That this house welcomes the Government's announcement of period poverty funding which will fight stigma around menstruation and provide free period products in primary and secondary schools across England; notes that 4.3 billion disposable menstrual products are used in the UK every year and an estimated 2.5 million tampons and...

That this House congratulates Renfrewshire School Pipe Band on finishing third in the British Pipe Band Championships on Saturday 18 May 2019 and wishes them the very best of luck for the rest of the season; recognises that the outstanding level of talent present in the band comes from across Renfrewshire from Primary 6 up to secondary school and has been fostered by free tuition funded by Renfrewshire Council in Renfrewshire’s schools; and commends the hard work and dedication of everyone involved in the Renfrewshire Schools Pipe Band in getting them to this level of success.

That this House congratulates Renfrewshire School Pipe Band on finishing third in the British Pipe Band Championships on Saturday 18 May 2019 and wishes them the very best of luck for the rest of the season; recognises that the outstanding level of talent present in the band comes from across...

That this House notes that 5 May 2019 marks the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) World Hand Hygiene Day; recognises that infection prevention and control, including hand hygiene, is critical to achieving universal health coverage for the world’s population; notes that the WHO currently estimates 70 per cent of infections are transmitted by hands, and that good hand hygiene is the first line of defence against infection; commends the UK for playing a prominent role in the fight against anti-microbial resistance and reducing healthcare associated infections; acknowledges further room to improve hand hygiene compliance in NHS hospitals and the limitations of current practices in monitoring hand hygiene compliance; calls on the NHS to develop hand hygiene improvement guidance to support improved hand hygiene compliance in hospitals; and encourages all hon. Members to support and promote the WHO’s Save Lives: Clean Your Hands campaign in their local hospitals and schools.

That this House notes that 5 May 2019 marks the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) World Hand Hygiene Day; recognises that infection prevention and control, including hand hygiene, is critical to achieving universal health coverage for the world’s population; notes that the WHO currently estimates 70 per cent of infections are...

That this House congratulates George Watson's College in Edinburgh for raising money for new life saving equipment for the preventative treatment of cervical cancer; understands that this is a part of the Watson’s Malawi Project which began in June 2017 to build partnerships with people and organisations in Malawi; notes that cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer that affects women across the world and that it kills over 1,600 women in Malawi every year; recognises that the new equipment is a thermal ablation device and will treat cervical pre-cancers and prevent it from reaching more advanced and life threatening stages; further recognises that this makes it an invaluable asset to saving the lives of Malawian women who are unfortunately diagnosed with cervical cancer by increasing access to cervical screening; and congratulates everyone involved at George Watson's College for the fantastic work that they have done to raise these funds and for improving the lives and health of Malawian women.

That this House congratulates George Watson's College in Edinburgh for raising money for new life saving equipment for the preventative treatment of cervical cancer; understands that this is a part of the Watson’s Malawi Project which began in June 2017 to build partnerships with people and organisations in Malawi; notes...

That this House notes with concern that under the Controlled Waste (England and Wales) Regulations, waste collection authorities may charge for the collection and disposal of waste from premises forming part of a school; further notes that the Government has not made an estimate of the number of schools that have to pay for their own recycling collections, nor have they made an assessment of the environmental impact of charging schools for recycling collections; recognises that recycling saves about 10 to 15 million tonnes of carbon emissions each year, equivalent to taking 3.5 million cars off the road; acknowledges that school budgets are already under immense pressure, and that they therefore should not have to pay for their own recycling collections; and calls on the Government to end charges to schools for the collection and disposal of recyclable waste.

That this House notes with concern that under the Controlled Waste (England and Wales) Regulations, waste collection authorities may charge for the collection and disposal of waste from premises forming part of a school; further notes that the Government has not made an estimate of the number of schools that...