Andrew Cooper

Andrew Cooper

Labour — Mid Cheshire

Speaking in the House of Commons on 8 January 2025

Debate

Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill

Contribution

This Bill is a landmark piece of legislation that not only demonstrates ambition but takes tangible action to keep children safe, improve educational standards and make families better off. Like many of us here, I got into politics to improve the life chances of children in my community and to make it a reality that, regardless of someone’s background or circumstances, the only ceiling on their potential is their talent and your determination, so I am delighted to see the Government bring forward this Bill, which begins the work of breaking down barriers to opportunity for our children. As anyone who has been involved in our schools or who has read any of the academic evidence on the subject will know, that starts with a full stomach at the beginning of the day, which breakfast clubs deliver. They help with attention span and cognitive performance, and they give parents greater flexibility to earn during their working hours. Strengthening the law to set out a specific number of branded school uniform items is an important step in the right direction, and I hope we will go further in due course.

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