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 welcomes the decision by the Welsh Government to make school uniforms accessible and gender neutral; acknowledges the role that Welsh Education Minister Kirsty Williams AM played in securing this progressive change; recognises the importance of supporting all children in wearing clothes that they are happy, confident and comfortable in; and calls on the Government to ensure that all schools across England make school uniforms accessible and gender neutral to help facilitate a culture of acceptance in all schools.

That this House welcomes the decision by the Welsh Government to make school uniforms accessible and gender neutral; acknowledges the role that Welsh Education Minister Kirsty Williams AM played in securing this progressive change; recognises the importance of supporting all children in wearing clothes that they are happy, confident and...

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 acknowledges the impact of school strikes for climate; notes that on 15 March more than 2,000 pupils gathered to strike in Edinburgh and that more than one million pupils protested worldwide as a call to action to prevent climate change; recognises the significance of the climate crisis; and supports the march to the Scottish Parliament on Friday 24 May 2019.

That this House acknowledges the impact of school strikes for climate; notes that on 15 March more than 2,000 pupils gathered to strike in Edinburgh and that more than one million pupils protested worldwide as a call to action to prevent climate change; recognises the significance of the climate crisis;...

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...

That this House recognises the inadequacy of the funding currently available to all state schools; expresses deep concern over the warning from more than 7,000 head teachers that budget shortages are worsening; commends the call by head teachers for greater funding through the Worth Less? campaign; acknowledges that teachers and parents have to provide and fund basic resources due to a lack of funding from central government; and calls on the Government to restore the per-pupil schools budget to 2015/16 levels in real terms, giving schools £2.5 billion in extra funding.

That this House recognises the inadequacy of the funding currently available to all state schools; expresses deep concern over the warning from more than 7,000 head teachers that budget shortages are worsening; commends the call by head teachers for greater funding through the Worth Less? campaign; acknowledges that teachers and...

That this House notes with great concern the report by London Economics which highlights the effects of the Government's freeze on sixth form funding combined with increases in running costs; further notes that in order to increase student services for physical and mental health, protect minority subjects such as modern languages from being dropped and increase extra­curricular activities such as work experience and university visits the report states that sixth form colleges will need an increase in funding of at least £760 per student by 2020-21; expresses deep regret that funding declined by 22 per cent during the period between 2010-11 and 2016-17, resulting in a decrease in teaching staff of 15 per cent while in the same period student numbers have increased by six per cent; and calls on the Government to address this unacceptable funding problem as a matter of urgency.

That this House notes with great concern the report by London Economics which highlights the effects of the Government's freeze on sixth form funding combined with increases in running costs; further notes that in order to increase student services for physical and mental health, protect minority subjects such as modern...

That this House does not agree with the recent decision by the Department for Education to update its advice to schools to suggest that teachers should not express political views; believes that teachers have a right and even a responsibility to raise concerns about the impact of funding cuts on its ability to provide a high-quality education, and that this is not the same as campaigning for a particular political party; condemns this attempt by the Department to gag teachers and prevent them from speaking out about issues in the UK schools system; takes note of the accounts from schools around the country that they cannot afford basic supplies, essential buildings maintenance or subject choice because of funding cuts, and that this is impacting on the standard of children's education and their chances in life; urges the Government to listen to teachers and parents who protest about the impact of funding cuts on children's education; and suggests that reversing the cuts and providing sufficient funding to schools would allow teachers to get on with the job of teaching without having to waste time implementing endless budget cuts.

That this House does not agree with the recent decision by the Department for Education to update its advice to schools to suggest that teachers should not express political views; believes that teachers have a right and even a responsibility to raise concerns about the impact of funding cuts on...

That this House commends the work of the Green Kids charity in the Kurdistan region, founded and run by Dashni Morad, a well-known music artist and humanitarian activist; notes that the charity seeks to help clear Kurdistan's stunning landscape of discarded plastic bottles and to increase the environmental awareness of young people; further notes that it imported 200,000 books for use at 15 primary schools and established libraries for children in four refugee camps; believes that such work is vital in building a resilient civil society better able to resist extremism; and further commends the charity to private and state donors.

That this House commends the work of the Green Kids charity in the Kurdistan region, founded and run by Dashni Morad, a well-known music artist and humanitarian activist; notes that the charity seeks to help clear Kurdistan's stunning landscape of discarded plastic bottles and to increase the environmental awareness of...

That this House notes the figures released by the Local Government Association as part of its Bright Futures campaign, where it is estimated that between 70 and 75 per cent of young people experiencing a mental health problem are unable to access any treatment due to lack of funding, despite at least one in 10 children and young people being affected by mental health problems; acknowledges the preventative role that early interventions such as in-school counselling can play in reducing waiting times for treatment, reducing patient distress and reducing pressures on mental health service providers; and urges the Government to use 5.3 per cent of the funding already promised to improve children's and young people's mental health service provision to deliver counselling in every secondary school, and equivalent alternative education provision, in England.

That this House notes the figures released by the Local Government Association as part of its Bright Futures campaign, where it is estimated that between 70 and 75 per cent of young people experiencing a mental health problem are unable to access any treatment due to lack of funding, despite...

That this House notes that the adoption of a gender-neutral school uniform policy creates an environment in which everyone is accepted and students are not labelled by the clothing they wear; welcomes the growing trend toward gender-neutral uniform policies; further welcomes that over 150 schools in the UK have already adopted such a policy; congratulates Jess lnsall for her campaign to introduce gender-neutral school uniforms which has received support from the Scottish Government; and calls on the UK Government to encourage all schools to introduce a non-prescriptive, gender-neutral school uniform policy.

That this House notes that the adoption of a gender-neutral school uniform policy creates an environment in which everyone is accepted and students are not labelled by the clothing they wear; welcomes the growing trend toward gender-neutral uniform policies; further welcomes that over 150 schools in the UK have already...