Sufra's Ramadan Emergency Appeal

 

 

Sufra do an amazing job so please consider supporting their appeal HERE

 Crisis is all around us and millions are suffering in countries across the world. This Ramadan, we are acknowledging our shared struggles and responsibilities as members of an extended human family and we are counting (and sharing) our blessings for living in relative peace and security. 

 

Our hearts go out to our brothers and sisters affected by the tragic events in Syria and Turkey, as well as those living with conflict and war in Yemen, Ukraine and elsewhere. At Sufra, we see the devastating impact of these disasters on those we support every day such as the many refugees and asylum seekers we support who are fleeing conflict and facing an extremely hostile environment in the UK. 

 

Unsurprisingly, our migrant guests struggle to build a new life in a country where a fifth of the population now live in poverty, 7 million families are skipping meals, and the cost of living is impossibly high even for the average family. 

 

It's no wonder our refugee and advice services are at bursting point and our social media posts are littered with requests to help top up our food bank shelves with essentials that have run dry. 

 

It doesn't have to be this way. If we act together in a spirit of love and selfless giving, our combined effort can make a lasting impact on the lives of thousands of people. 

 

This Ramadan, we are asking you to stand in solidarity with Sufra NW London, to share your blessings, and to help us support thousands of local people who are struggling to survive.

Wembley Event Day arrangements Sunday 2nd April and Thursday 6th April

 From Brent Council

Papa John's Trophy Final and Women's Finalissima

Two events are planned in Wembley over the next couple of weeks. Please read below to find out how this may affect you.

Papa John's Trophy Final 2023

On Sunday 2 April, Wembley Stadium will be hosting the Papa John's Trophy Final 2023 between Bolton Wanderers and Plymouth Argyle.

The match will start at 3pm and road closures will be in place from 11am.

Women's Finalissima 2023

On Thursday 6 April, Wembley Stadium will be hosting the Women's Finalissima 2023 between England and Brazil.

The match will start at 7.45pm and road closures will be in place from 3.45pm.

Timings

We expect the area around Wembley Stadium to be very busy before and after these games so please avoid the area if you can, unless you have a ticket.

Event day parking

Event day parking restrictions will be in place from 8am to midnight on main roads, and from 10am to midnight on residential roads on both 2 April and 6 April 2023.

If you have a paper permit, please make sure you clearly display it in your vehicle. If you have an electronic permit, you do not need to display this. 

Drink-free zone

We want to create a safe and enjoyable experience for all visitors. 

To crack down on anti-social behaviour, we will be enforcing a ban on street drinking in the streets around Wembley Stadium before the match, as part of the Public Space Protection Order (PSPO). 

If we find anyone drinking on Olympic Way or in the surrounding streets, they will be asked to hand over their alcohol and enforcement action may be considered.  

Latest information 

For up-to-date information about Wembley events, please visit the Wembley Stadium website.

'Which side are you on, Brent? Tug of War challenge to Brent Council on Fossil Fuel investments

 

From Divest Brent

 

Divest Brent yesterday organised, as street theatre, a symbolic tug of war with Brent Pension Fund being pulled between the big oil companies, who are anxious to keep their place in the Pension Fund’s portfolio, and the rest of us who believe that in a climate emergency the Pension Fund should not be financing climate break-down. Although light-hearted there was a very serious point behind the event. 

 

In July 2019 Brent Council declared a climate and ecological emergency and committed to do all in its gift to strive for carbon neutrality by 2030.This declaration did not extend to Brent’s billion-pound Pension Fund because the Fund looks after the pensions of Council staff. The Fund has made some progress with investment into a low-carbon fund (but this is only 3% of the Fund) and a Net Zero Roadmap charting a course which should eventually lead to divestment. But global warming is indeed a climate emergency as recognised by the Council and we do not have time for the Roadmap to run its course. 

 

We are supportive of the Roadmap - but we are asking for a more rapid divestment from the fossil fuels which are so much to blame for the emergency. Many things are not in the Council’s power but this action is!

 

Millions unspent on retrofitting London’s homes

 This story from Green Party Asssemby Member Zack Polanski, puts today's retrofit announcement from Brent Council in perspective. Brent was awarded the second lowest amount of the successsful London boroughs:

Green London Assembly Member Zack Polanski today revealed to the Mayor that just 45 homes had been retrofitted across London under the Government’s Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund, despite £18 million being made available to London councils over a year ago.

The measures to improve the energy efficiency of London’s homes were supposed to be completed by the end of March 2023, but a shortage of skilled workers has delayed delivery.

Green London Assembly Member Zack Polanski said:

The Mayor is still sitting on his hands despite declaring a ‘retrofit revolution’ two years ago.

His failure to get a handle on the retrofit skills gap is preventing London benefitting from available Government funds.

The Mayor needs to get his retrofit revolution on the right track, support the upgrading of homes and protect Londoners from sky-high energy bills.

Nine of the 11 London boroughs awarded funds have failed to deliver any retrofitting works at all. This represents over £13 million of available government funding not being put to use.

 
Across the country, just 14% of the planned 20,000 homes expected to be upgraded have had works completed. As a result, the deadline for local authorities to spend the first wave of funding has been extended to June.

Housing experts, including representatives from the Chartered Institute of Housing, say the slow rollout of retrofit upgrades stems from a national skills shortage in the retrofit sector.[5] London Councils have said that London needs 110,000 people working in retrofit by 2030. Currently, there are only 4,000

The publication of this data comes after the Mayor of London showed hesitance to ramp-up his retrofit skills training offer using his £320 million Adult Education Budget. Speaking to the London Assembly in November, the Mayor said, “what we need is some certainty there are [retrofit] jobs to go to.”

With Londoners facing rising bills during the cost of living crisis, retrofitting homes to improve their energy efficiency is a way to reduce energy bills and household costs – while reducing emissions.

 
The second wave of funding, being made available to local authorities and housing associations later this year, is around four times the budget of the first wave, at almost £800 million.

 

£1.32m boost for energy efficiency measures in 127 units of Brent's social housing

127 units of Brent Councils' most energy inefficient social housing stock are to benefit from a £1.32m grant from the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund for energy efficiency improvements. Bent Council say that the  project will help equip Brent to achieve its goal in reducing CO2 emissions from social housing and improve tenants’ comfort and wellbeing

The works will be managed by Brent’s long-term delivery partner, Wates, with project oversight from the Brent Major Works team.

Join Fuel Povery Action Manifesto for 'Energy for All' launch tomorrow at 6.30pm

 

From Fuel Poverty Action

Fuel Poverty Action is launching an Energy For All Manifesto. Join us online on Thursday 23rd March to mark this event!   Register HERE

Hear about the energy pricing revolution, for a cheaper, greener and fairer system to meet everyone's needs.

Speakers to include:

Clive Lewis MP

Caroline Lucas MP

Anne McLaughlin MP

Ian Hodson - Bakers, Food and Allied Workers Union.

Paula Peters - Disabled People Against Cuts

Mia Watanabe - Warm This Winter Coalition

Indigo Rumbelow - Just Stop Oil

Chaitanya Kumar - New Economics Foundation

Ruth London - Fuel Poverty Action

In recent months, we’ve built pressure through a range of strategies and tactics. Our Energy For All petition received over 650,000 signatures before we handed it into parliament. We collaborated with MPs from a range of parties on an Early Day Motion for a Universal Basic Energy Allowance. We carried out two nationwide mobilisations; in December gaining mass coverage for E4A, and in January delivering a major win on our short term goal to end the forced installation of prepayment meters. Meanwhile, the New Economics Foundation has been carrying out costing and modelling of the proposal, with very positive results so far.

We call on organisations, trade and tenants unions, community and faith groups, MPs, local authorities and distinguished individuals to sign in support of our Manifesto, to help build weight behind the demand for Energy For All. Sign here!

(We plan for the event to last an hour but may run over to allow every speaker to have their chance).

 

THE MANIFESTO 

 

 

REPLACE OFSTED - LET TEACHERS TEACH. SIGN NEU PETITION. TO BE DELIVERED ON THURSDAY

 

 

PETITION WORDING 

 

Teachers and leaders work under the shadow cast by Ofsted. An unfair and unreliable inspectorate.

As Ofsted approaches its 30-year anniversary, now is the right time to examine what effect its inspections have on the quality of education that teachers and leaders are able to provide and, in particular, for our most disadvantaged pupils.

In 2017, the National Audit Office concluded that: “Ofsted does not know whether its school inspections are having the intended impact: to raise the standards of education and improve the quality of children’s and young people’s lives.”

Ofsted has never published any research to prove that its inspections accurately reflect the quality of education schools provide. Comprehensive, independent analysis of Ofsted judgements show they discriminate against schools in deprived areas – awarding ‘outstanding’ grades to four times more secondary schools with better off pupils than schools with students who are worse off. A major research study showed that, even when schools in deprived areas are making excellent value-added progress, they are still more likely to be given poor Ofsted judgements.

Teachers and leaders know that working in disadvantaged areas is likely to be harmful to their careers because of the unfairness of Ofsted judgements. It is harder to recruit and retain teachers in these schools. Poor children, who most need qualified and experienced teachers if they are to fulfil their potential, are least likely to get them.

School inspection must be fair. It should be supportive. It should not be, as too many Ofsted inspections are, punitive.

The stress and unsustainable workload generated by Ofsted is a major factor in the appalling teacher retention rates that blight English education. Nearly 40 per cent of teachers leave the profession within ten years. No education system can improve while it haemorrhages school leaders and teachers.

We must create a new approach to school and college evaluation which is supportive, effective and fair.

We are calling on the Government to:

1. Replace Ofsted with a school accountability system which is supportive, effective and fair;
2. Work with teachers, leaders and other stakeholders to establish a commission to learn how school accountability is done in other high performing education nations;
3. Develop an accountability system which commands the trust and confidence of education staff as well as parents and voters.

Ofsted inspection at 'refuse entry' school goes ahead 'following discussions with the parties involved'. Petition calling for inquiry into Caversham Primary inspection takes off.

 

Staff stage silent protest outside John Rankin School this morning

Schools Week reported this morning LINK  that the Ofsted inspection of John Rankin School in Newbury will go ahead today despite the Executive Headteacher's statement yesterday that she would refuse entry to the inspection team:

Flora Cooper, executive headteacher at John Rankin Infant and Nursery School had originally called on other headteachers who want Ofsted reform to join the protest.

But yesterday afternoon, she asked them not to turn up. “I have to protect our children, our staff and our community,” she wrote on Twitter.

West Berkshire Council has now confirmed the inspection will go ahead “following discussions between the parties involved”.

The school said it could not comment.

The Department of Education (DfE) issued a statement yesterday, stressing the legal requirement of schools and nurseries to be inspected by Ofsted.

Under the Education Act, it is a criminal offence to intentionally obstruct inspectors from carrying out their duties, with a fine of up to £2,500.

However, it appears staff did hold a silent protest outside the school gates this morning.

Meanwhile a petition calling for an inquiry into the Ofsted inspection of the school where the headteacher took her own life has been gathering signatures. LINK

The petition reads:

Ruth Perry had been the headteacher at Caversham Primary School for 13 years when Ofsted visited her school on the 15 and 16 November 2022.  The experience drove her to sadly take her own life.

Ofsted need to force an inquiry into this inspection and review the actual inspection report that the school are now forced to have on their school website that callously and unnecessarily makes reference to Ruth’s death within it.

Ofsted inspections have evolved into such a monster that the mere thought of them causes fear, stress and anxiety to schools, school leadership and staff alike.  Actual inspections can leave staff in tears.  Many leaders leave the profession following an inspection because the stress caused by the inspection is simply too great and sadly some take their own life, like in the very sad case of Ruth Perry.

It shouldn’t be like that an Ofsted or equivalent inspection should be a supportive process and help the school to find the whys and support to work on the weakness an inspection shouldn’t seek to crush and destroy.  The Ofsted inspection should be there to ensure that children are looked after and taught in a safe environment and that the standards are in place for them to thrive and sometimes that means that the framework has to bend the framework has become unwieldy and cumbersome and inspectors have become less supportive and instead seek to trip schools up, terrorise and traumatise.  

Ofsted need to look into this case specifically, review the inspection and the actual wording of that report, what could have been done better.  

They also need to review the whole system, it isn’t working, inspections are too unwieldy and it takes too long to get through them leaving schools for too many years between inspections 3, 5, 10, 13 plus years is too long between inspections.  They need to be smarter, quicker and more supportive. 

Please take action now, sign the petition and let’s see if we can drive change so that the actions that Ruth Perry felt she had to take, never, ever happens again.

RIP Ruth Perry.

It appears that the published Ofsted report has already been modified: