Supporting Internet Matters to help keep children safe online

I recently met with online safety campaigners from Internet Matters to hear about how we can help make the internet a safer place for children.

The not-for-profit aims to assist parents in keeping kids safe online and held a drop-in session in Parliament, alongside Google, to showcase the tools they both have available for parents and schools.

Just in time for the new school term, Internet Matter have relaunched the schools section on their website. Research shows that schools are the most popular place for parents to seek help with online safety issues, so I was given a guided tour of the new resource hub which now includes a host of school programmes, training, classroom resources, and a communication pack to help schools drive engagement with parents.

Likewise Google has already developed online safety tools such as its Safe Search feature which filters potentially offensive content, and the YouTube Kids app which allows families to watch child friendly programmes with peace of mind.

As children increasingly live their lives online, internet safety is becoming more of a pressing issue for teachers and schools.

All young people should be able to enjoy the wealth of information and entertainment available online in a way that is as safe and age appropriate as possible, and building a form of digital resilience is key for life in today's world.

For more information on helping to keep children safe online, please visit www.internetmatters.org.

The Smashed Project visits Woodlands School

I was pleased to be invited to Woodlands School to watch a presentation by the Smashed Project, an international theatre-in-education programme dedicated to breaking the culture of underage drinking.

The Smashed Project is proven to raise pupils' awareness of the dangers of alcohol and designed to help them make informed decisions about consuming it in the future.

I was especially pleased to see how well all the pupils responded to this important message.

You can find out more about the Smashed Project here.

Visiting St Teresa's Catholic Primary School

I was glad to visit our local St Teresa's Catholic Primary School, which was recently given a Good rating by Ofsted after previously being placed in special measures.

It is testament to the hard work of all the staff at the school that this turn around has happened.

On the day I visited, the school was coming to the end of its "History Week" and both pupils and teachers had dressed up in an attempt to bring history to life.

It was fantastic to see how well the school is doing and I look forward to visiting again in future.

Visiting Lee Chapel Primary School

I was pleased to visit high-flying Lee Chapel Primary School after the recent news that it is one of the top one hundred primary schools in the country.

The league tables published by the Sunday Times ranked Lee Chapel Primary School at 73rd out of nearly 17,000 state-funded primary schools across the country and the highest in Essex. The Basildon school has also been ranked as "outstanding" by Ofsted since 2007.

It was good to see first-hand all of the hard work going into improving the school and maintaining a high level of education for pupils.

I heard about the way that new classrooms are providing better spaces for teaching, and how the development of a new swimming pool will give children the opportunity to learn to swim and take part in sport, which does so much for their health and wellbeing at their early age.

I especially wanted to congratulate Head Teacher Sue Jackson and all at the school on the fantastic achievement of being ranked as one of the best schools in the country. It is a really proud moment and I am sure that everyone will want to build on this success in the future.

Visit to record-breaking Woodlands School

With Woodlands School pupils

It was great to visit Woodlands School in Basildon and see first-hand how the school is developing.

I was pleased to find that Woodlands is going from strength-to-strength under the leadership of its Headteacher, Mr Simon Cox, and that it has seen a fantastic turn-around.

The school achieved record exam results in 2016, with 5 A*- C GCSE including English and Maths at 58%, representing a 10% increase on results from the year before.

The teachers and students that I met on my visit were all very impressive and I look forward to hearing more about the school's progress in the future.

EU referendum discussion at Northlands Primary School

I recently visited Northlands Primary School in Basildon where I was invited to listen to pupils' views on the EU referendum and take part in their big discussion.

The pupils prepared a range of written work containing their views which they presented to me and I helped answer any questions they had.

It was a fantastic visit and I enjoyed the chance to discuss such a topical issue with the pupils. They asked very thoughtful questions on what the European Union means in relation to our country and I was impressed by the level of understanding they showed.

The result of the EU referendum will affect everyone across the country, both young and old. It is a truly once in a generation choice whether to remain in the EU or to leave and it is crucial that everyone examines the issues on both sides of the debate and ultimately votes in this vital referendum.

Stephen Metcalfe MP welcomes Budget for the next generation

Stephen Metcalfe, Member of Parliament for South Basildon & East Thurrock, welcomed the Conservative government's recent Budget.

The Budget includes measures to help younger generations, by introducing a new Lifetime ISA for under-40s, improving schools with fairer funding, and putting a new sugar levy on the soft drinks industry to help tackle childhood obesity.

Mr Metcalfe said: "I was pleased to see that younger generations will benefit most from this Budget.

"It is important to encourage a saving culture among young people and the Lifetime ISA will help towards that all-important first home and saving for retirement.

"The introduction of a fair National Funding Formula for schools will help ensure that 90 per cent of schools benefit from much-needed funds by 2020, including our local schools which I am always keen to see supported.

"This commitment to fairer funding for schools is also a commitment to improving life chances for local children, making sure that they can compete in an ever more competitive world."

He added: "The sugar tax is a bold and important move towards tackling childhood obesity.

"It was good to hear that this new levy on the soft drinks industry will help reduce the sugar content of their products and that the money raised from it will be used to double sports funding in primary schools, encouraging healthier lifestyle habits from an early age."

He finished: "Taken as a whole, the Budget demonstrates that Conservatives are putting the next generation first and ensuring that Britain is fit for the future."