Risley Avenue Breakfast Club

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I visited Risley Avenue Primary School to see its new government-funded free breakfast club, which is helping to give children a positive start to the school day while supporting families with the cost of living.

The school has worked in partnership with the charity Magic Breakfast for several years to provide nutritious breakfasts and enrichment activities for pupils, creating a welcoming and supportive environment before lessons begin. Thanks to new funding through the Best Start free breakfast clubs programme, the club is now available free of charge to all families, helping to remove barriers to access and reduce stigma.

At the drop off, I met Idris, a working parent who previously couldn’t afford the cost of the club. He told me that, now, he can get to work on time and see his kids happy, energised, and enjoying a positive start to the day.

It was fantastic to see how the Risley Avenue Primary School community continues to place community support and children’s wellbeing at the heart of its work, providing not just education, but a wider network of care for local families.

Watch the video here!

Meeting with Director of Education Cannot Wait

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It was great to meet with Maysa Jalbout, the new Director of Education Cannot Wait, the UN’s global fund for education in emergencies, to discuss the UK’s ongoing commitment to children whose education has been disrupted by conflict, displacement, and climate disasters.

The UK is a founding donor of ECW and has committed £80 million over the period 2023 to 2026, making it the fund’s second-largest donor after Germany. Since its inception, ECW has reached 14 million children across 33 crisis-affected countries, with over half of them being girls.

At a time when more than 230 million school-age children worldwide are affected by crises, the work of ECW has never been more important. As Chair of the APPG for Global Education, I will continue to press for the UK to maintain its leadership on this issue, and I look forward to working with parliamentarians and civil society leaders to ensure education in emergencies remains a priority as the UK prepares to host the G20 Summit next year.

SEND Roundtable

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Today, I hosted a roundtable in Parliament to hear from the real experts on SEND: parents and teachers.

Wonderful to be joined by the Minister for School Standards, Georgia Gould MP, who listened directly to headteachers and parents from Southgate and Wood Green on proposed reforms.

Thank you to everyone who attended and I look forward to following up on your concerns with the Department for Education. Your voices must be heard.

If you have SEND experience, please contribute to the consultation before it closes on the 18th of May: https://consult.education.gov.uk/…/send-reform-putting…/

School-based Nurseries are coming to Southgate and Wood Green

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Good news for parents in Southgate & Wood Green!

We have just secured investment to open a Best Start school-based nursery at Earlham Primary School and Risley Avenue Primary School, so local families can benefit from accessible, affordable, high-quality early years education.

The Government has already cut childcare costs in half and saved the average family £8,000 per child. This will deliver better life chances for children and better work chances for parents.

You can find out more at www.beststartinlife.gov.uk

Investment Supporting Global Education

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Visit to Laurel Park School

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Today, I had the pleasure of visiting Laurel Park School and meeting some wonderful students from the Sixth Form.

As well as having a discussion on my role, we talked about their studies and I received a great tour of the building. I always enjoy hearing from young people about their experiences and views on our constituency. Well done Laurel Park!

Teachers in Emergencies

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To mark World Teachers Day 2025, it was a pleasure to chair a roundtable on Teachers in Emergencies organised by the National Education Union and the APPG on Global Education, with powerful voice from Palestine and Ukraine.

It was great to hear from Saed Erziqat from the General Union of Palestinian Teachers, along with Olga Chabaniuk and Kateryna Maliuta from the Trade Union of Education and Science Workers of Ukraine.

We must ensure the protection of teachers in conflict zones and continue to champion the vital role UK aid plays in global education.

You can read more about the APPG’s work here: Home – APPG

West Grove Primary School

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It was wonderful to visit West Grove Primary School in Southgate this morning.

I received a tour of the primary school and met some fantastic pupils, and it is always a pleasure to talk to young people about their experience at school.

It was great to talk to the children about my work as an MP and how Parliament works, as well as the important stuff, our favourite food!

Music Hubs

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As the Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Music Education, I attended a wonderful event today hosted by Anna Sabine MP highlighting the importance of music education and music hubs!

It was great to meet passionate young musicians from Southgate & Wood Green, the talented Jess Gillam, and the inspiring music teachers who make it all happen.

I am proud to be a music education champion!

Students from Gaza

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Please see below the letter to the Prime Minister that I have signed to call for safe evacuation routes for Gazan students with scholarships in the UK.

Gaza students letterDownload