Lessons4Life Heads to the House of Lords
We speak to Hayley Sherwood, Lessons4Life Campaign Lead, to find out more about her visit to Westminster to discuss the Education: Insights from Practice for Policy.
Lessons4Life Heads to the House of Lords
On 21st January 2025, John Rees and I had the privilege of attending an extraordinary event at Westminster, where St Mary’s University brought its longstanding commitment to social justice and education to the forefront.
The gathering, sponsored by Lord Hastings of Scarisbrick CBE, was a testament to the university’s 173-year legacy of excellence and its unwavering focus on nurturing inclusive educational practices.
This wasn’t just another discussion on education – it was a space where research, lived experience and policymaking converged.
As part of the Centre for Research into the Education of Marginalised Children and Young Adults (CREMCYA), we had the honour of presenting our recommendations directly to Members of Parliament.
It was a moment to amplify the voices of those often unheard and to advocate for actionable change in policies that affect children, young adults, and the practitioners who work tirelessly to support them.
As the conversations unfolded, we both felt a profound sense of purpose in the shared commitment to shaping a future where every child and young adult has access to quality education, free from barriers.
What’s Our Main Aim for Lessons4Life?
The main aim is to equip children in England with the knowledge, life skills and resilience to thrive so they can positively contribute to society, regardless of their background.
- DfE Policy Change – By consolidating multiple policies into a simplified single, cohesive policy, we believe schools can effectively deliver personal development and life skills education with obtainable and successful outcomes for children.
- Introduce a Framework to Measure Personal Development – Through creating a national measurement framework that identifies gaps in children’s personal development and life skills knowledge from primary to secondary school, parents and carers can work with teachers and schools to effectively conduct targeted interventions with quantifiable progress.
- Comprehensive Training for Educators – Investing in high-quality training programmes will ensure that all educators and support staff are equipped to deliver consistent and effective personal development and life skills education.
- Dedicated Personal Development Funding and Support – With dedicated funding, schools can easily access ongoing professional support and resources to ensure the consistent delivery of high-quality personal development and life skills education.
Why is Change Needed Now?
Without robust life-skills education, the challenges faced by young people often compound as they grow older, leading to significant social and economic costs.
What’s Next and How You Can Help Lessons4Life
To ensure that children develop the essential skills for long-term academic and social success, assessments are vital for identifying gaps and understanding how to build on existing knowledge.
That’s why Lessons4Life is gathering evidence and data for a comprehensive whitepaper to encourage decision makers to increase the time in curriculum to deliver valuable life skills lessons.
Stay tuned for the spring publication of the whitepaper, where we will delve deeper and reflect on how we can collectively transform insights into impactful policy.
In the meantime, you can support our campaign by:
- Signing the Lessons4Life petition
- Subscribing to our YouTube channel and watching valuable content here
- Spreading our message through word of mouth and on social media using @Lessons4Life #L4L