Andy Jolley
@andyjolley.bsky.social
650 followers 680 following 2K posts
Evidence based school meals campaigner & former School Governor TBI survivor Interests include Education, Social Justice & Concussion in Rugby
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andyjolley.bsky.social
On School Meals, my list of priorities

Increase the amount schools receive so they don’t have to subsidise FSM

Automatic FSM registration

Properly funded breakfast & holiday support

Better standards & independent monitoring

Community Eligibility

Review FSM eligibility to better target support
Reposted by Andy Jolley
jonsevers.bsky.social
Puberty is starting earlier - and schools will need to react. Story by David Robson today
andyjolley.bsky.social
@ayllonsara.bsky.social would love to discuss the UK evidence base on universal FSM

I am sceptical the research shows any causation for the tiny changes seen
andyjolley.bsky.social
@hhsievertsen.bsky.social Would love to discuss some of the uk research into FSM

Seems to me the evidence of causation is very much not there
Reposted by Andy Jolley
spcialndsjungle.bsky.social
Parents fined as daughter with SEND absent nearly 200 times from school. Basically, we tried to help, the parents tried hard, but we thought it best to fine them… It doesn’t say if she had a needs assessment or an EHCP www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/...
Parents fined as daughter absent nearly 200 times from Stoke-on-Trent school
A mum and dad have been fined, despite spending up to £70 per week trying to get daughter to school, a court heard.
www.bbc.co.uk
andyjolley.bsky.social
I can’t help feel that some people are currently putting in a lot of time & effort into thinking up excuses as to why Sadiq Khans Free school meals haven’t improved attendance/attainment/obesity rates

All kind of reasons will be offered by campaigners

Few will face the fact UFSM isn’t impactful
Reposted by Andy Jolley
samfr.bsky.social
If you want to win over younger voters, telling them they can't go to university is probably not going to help.
Reposted by Andy Jolley
jrf-uk.bsky.social
Around 1 in 4 children in Scotland are living in poverty.

Poverty remains far too high, and people are feeling overlooked and ignored by politicians.

The next Scottish Parliament is an opportunity to build a better future for all children in Scotland. 🔽 1/4
Around 1 in 4 children in Scotland are in poverty. On top of this writing are four children running, part of a saltire and the logo - JRF, Scottish Election.
Reposted by Andy Jolley
trussellscot.bsky.social
It’s Day 3 of #ChallengePoverty week & we’re calling for better investment in life’s essentials to ensure everyone has a warm homes and access to better public transport and public services. #WeDemandBetter

Read more here 👇
www.povertyalliance.org/wp-content/u...
Reposted by Andy Jolley
trussellscot.bsky.social
Two fifths of people referred to a @trusselluk.bsky.social food bank in Scotland have experienced some form of homelessness in the past year.

This isn’t right. Everyone in Scotland deserves a warm and secure home 🏠 #WeDemandBetter
Reposted by Andy Jolley
aphclarkson.bsky.social
Jenrick is a potential case study for the hypothesis that quite a few Conservative MPs and Spads whose brains have been marinated in Right wing American social media are increasingly being sucked into a civil war mindset that has embedded itself among many leading MAGA Trump figures.
Reposted by Andy Jolley
rhi.bsky.social
Dad’s books are full of empathy, common sense, and a healthy suspicion of the powerful. But at its heart his work is also about how systems keep people poor while pretending it’s their own fault. So I hope Kemi’s taking notes as well as reading the jokes.
paulhaine.bsky.social
Kemi Badenoch claiming Terry Pratchett as her favourite author is wild
Reposted by Andy Jolley
miconm.bsky.social
There was actually guidance to this effect (knives) pre 2010 under labour as I referenced it in an exclusion appeal. It disappeared under the coalition.
schoolsweek.bsky.social
The Conservatives would introduce a legal 'presumption' that pupils who bring knives to school or assault their classmates or staff be permanently excluded, the shadow education secretary has said

schoolsweek.co.uk/conservative...
Conservatives want exclusion presumption for violent pupils
Shadow education secretary also sets out plans to make alternative provision 'independent' of councils
schoolsweek.co.uk
andyjolley.bsky.social
Closely linked, there is no hard and fast rule on school meals for those needing specialist menus

Schools must make “reasonable”adjustments, but many caterers will consider Gluten free every day a step too far (I must add some are fantastic)

It’s particularly impactful on low income FSM pupils
andyjolley.bsky.social
Tactical voting from the centre and the left will be key at the next election
Reposted by Andy Jolley
barristersecret.bsky.social
This is a lie.

There are many criticisms you might sensibly and truthfully make of the Sentencing Council and the Sentencing Guidelines. I’ve been making them for years.

But this is an outright lie. Pure fabrication. A fraud on the public.
andyjolley.bsky.social
Great Q by @helenhayes.bsky.social

In reality no one monitors compliance with the standards (which are badly outdated & need updating) am& they are routinely ignored

The FSA pilot was a complete shambles!

If expanding that out is the process DfE are looking at, we’re in trouble
dfe-answers.bsky.social
A question on #SchoolMeals #Standards tabled by Helen Hayes on 29-08-2025 has been answered by Olivia Bailey. https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2025-08-29/70620
andyjolley.bsky.social
Good question by Alison Bennett

In reality, many schools struggle to make allowances for anything but basic needs

Meanwhile Special schools in particular, have to cover substantial extra costs involved with supporting pupils with extra needs
dfe-answers.bsky.social
A question on #FreeSchoolMeals tabled by Alison Bennett on 10-09-2025 has been answered by Olivia Bailey. https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2025-09-10/76486
Reposted by Andy Jolley
peterwalker99.bsky.social
This favouring of older voters skews the economy, Tugendhat says: "Parties are religious about preventing any building, defending an established asset class against a future asset class."

This is refreshingly blunt stuff for a Tory conference.
andyjolley.bsky.social
Christchurch Conservatives seem to have added “born in Britain” to their bio of Christopher Chope

Blatant signalling from the pseudo reform MP
Reposted by Andy Jolley
schoolsweek.bsky.social
As the government announced 2,000 more free breakfast clubs will be launched from April, a DfE survey has revealed three-quarters of primary leaders fear they are 'not financially viable in their school'

schoolsweek.co.uk/breakfast-cl...
schoolsweek.co.uk