Emma Smith

End Unsafe Practices! NHS School Nursing Service for All In both recent surveys members told us so many stories that are incredibly concerning, we have included just a handful of quotes from Teaching Assistants below. We hope you can understand why we are a...

UNISON, GMB, and Unite are calling for urgent reform in the way healthcare is delivered in schools.

The unions are campaigning for a needs-led, NHS-commissioned clinical school nursing service embedded in all state-funded education settings.

www.megaphone.org.uk/petitions/en...

Today is #SUDEPActionDay2025 - raising awareness of Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy (SUDEP).

Whether you are someone living with epilepsy or a friend/family of someone who is or if you’ve been bereaved by it, join SUDEP Action's mission to raise global awareness of SUDEP.

Schools and healthcare: ‘An accident waiting to happen’ - SecEd Survey findings from UNISON show support staff are forced to take on increasingly complex healthcare roles in schools

A UNISON survey of more than 4,000 school support staff across England reveals many are being asked to take on significant healthcare roles in schools, despite not being health professionals.
UNISON's Joanna Parry says something has to change

SecEd

School support staff in England - there are only a few days left to take part in the Department for Education's consultation about the School Support Staff Negotiating Body. If you've not yet taken part please take a few minutes to do so now.
consult.education.gov.uk/school-suppo...

‘Breaking point’: governors say budgets their biggest worry Survey finds one in ten governors say their school relied on a loan or council support to stay afloat

📈 More school governing boards than ever before say balancing the books is their biggest challenge – with over one in 10 needing loans or council support to stay afloat

Our children face an urgent health crisis Children and young people in the UK have some of the worst health outcomes in Europe. If we fail to invest in children’s health today, it will cost...

Our children are facing a growing health crisis—from rising mental health issues to preventable physical conditions.

Today, I’m leading a debate in Parliament on the urgent need for a long-term plan to improve children’s health.

We must act now to give every child the healthy start they deserve.

SEND reform and legal rights The 'parents of disabled children' club was one I didn't want to join, and yet was shattered to leave with the death of my daughter in February. Re-engaging with these issues at this time, I find extremely difficult.

www.lawgazette.co.uk/features/sen...

Defending SEND law: why rolling back children and young people’s rights would ignore 40 years of legal progress In this blog, our Policy Manager, Catriona Moore, explains why defending four decades of legal progress is essential to ensuring children and young people with SEND get an education that meets their i...

Message to government: make the education system work for children & young people with SEND - but don't take away their legal rights to support. Our rights-based framework for disabled children is something we should be proud of, not a target for cuts. www.ipsea.org.uk/blog/defendi...

Schools forced to provide medical care for vulnerable pupils Situation so bad one trust may be forced to take legal action against its local health board

Shrinking NHS provision means school staff are having to perform complex medical procedures on children with SEND

NHS bodies often expect school staff to perform tracheostomies, suctioning etc - sparking safety fears from heads

By me, for Schools Week
schoolsweek.co.uk/an-accident-...

Frontiers | Improving partnerships to improve outcomes for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities: qualitative findings from a mixed methods systematic review

New research on improving partnerships for delivering SEND services

www.frontiersin.org/journals/edu...

Invite to the NAHT's Parliamentary Briefing on School Funding We are reaching out to seek your vital support in engaging with your local MP to ensure their attendance at an upcoming parliamentary briefing titled ‘School funding – A chance for change’. This event...

NAHT Call to action. On Monday 10 March, we will be bringing unions, MPs and local school leaders together to raise awareness in Parliament of the impact funding cuts have on schools.

Please urge your MP to attend by using our quick and easy letter-writing tool actionnetwork.org/letters/invi...

The DfE recommend that schools review their Supporting Pupils with Medical Conditions Policy annually.

UNISON’s new guidance sets out a helpful framework. Positive feedback from HTs, please get in touch if you’d like more info.

www.unison.org.uk/content/uplo...