The new school year has begun, and there’s good news for the teaching profession. There are now 11,900 more teachers in our classrooms than in 2010 - with increasing numbers returning to the profession.
The Secretary of State’s top priority is to make sure teaching remains an attractive and fulfilling profession, so the Government has recently announced a fully-funded pay rise for classroom teachers and is working with school leaders and unions to drive recruitment, boost retention and strip away unnecessary workload.
There’s hope too that behaviour in schools will be improved if the sale of energy drinks to children and young people is ended. As part of the Government’s world leading plans to tackle obesity, a consultation on ending the sales of these sugar and caffeine filled drinks is underway.
More than two thirds of 10-17-year-olds and a quarter of 6-9-year-olds consume energy drinks - contributing to obesity and tooth decay. Some of these concoctions contain 60 per cent more calories and 65 per cent more sugar than other soft drinks, and surveys from teachers’ unions have suggested that they contribute to poor behaviour in classrooms. I know many of our primary and secondary schools in Brentwood and Ongar already sensibly forbid their sale or consumption in school.
While many retailers already have a voluntary ban in place, this consultation proposes a ban that would end the sale of energy drinks to children of all drinks that contain more than 150mg of caffeine per litre.
The government recognises much more needs to be done and are developing a long-term plan to strengthen the NHS. If you want to have your views heard, you can contribute to the survey here: www.gov.uk/government/consultations/ending-the-sale-of-energy-drinks-to-children