ASCL鈥檚 president will today lambast the education secretary for promising 鈥減arents a nutritious meal and 30 minutes of childcare鈥, but expecting schools to deliver breakfast clubs “for less than half the price of a Greggs sausage roll鈥. Manny Botwe, the head of Tytherington School in Macclesfield, will tell the that 鈥渕any of us, I am sure, shared that same sense of optimism when the new Labour government was elected. He will welcome the 鈥渃hange of tone鈥 from Bridget Phillipson, 鈥渁nd the attempt to build a more constructive relationship with the profession鈥, as well as its mission to break down barriers. Bridget Phillipson 鈥淲e share that mission. In fact, it鈥檚 what drives us every day 鈥 it鈥檚 why we became teachers, why we became leaders, and why education exists in the first place. 鈥淪o, in principle, the Labour government and ASCL are aligned. And as the voice of the profession, we have a critical role in ensuring that education policies are shaped by those who truly understand the challenges on the ground 鈥 you.鈥 But, speaking directly before Phillipson is due to address the conference, he will say it is 鈥渘ot enough to know what the government wants to achieve. 鈥淭he missing piece is how. We need more than just a destination 鈥 we need a roadmap. What does 鈥榟igh and rising standards鈥 actually look like in practice? And what鈥檚 the strategy to get there?鈥 ‘A smorgasbord of policies’ Describing the children鈥檚 wellbeing and schools bill as a 鈥渟ignificant piece of legislation, covering a wide range of issues鈥, he will warn it 鈥渇eels fragmented. 鈥榃e can鈥檛 run at a loss鈥: Heads snub flagship breakfast clubs 鈥淎 bit on breakfast clubs, a bit on school uniforms, some tweaks to admissions and pay processes 鈥 a smorgasbord of policies of varying degrees of usefulness which lacks a clear, overarching vision. 鈥淲e鈥檙e not expecting another education act on the scale of 1944 or 1988. But we do need to see how these individual policies fit into a wider plan to create real, lasting change 鈥 the kind that is essential to breaking down the barriers to opportunity.鈥 On breakfast clubs, he will describe the daily funding rate of 60p as 鈥渁bsurd. You can鈥檛 promise parents a nutritious meal and 30 minutes of childcare, then expect schools to deliver it for less than half the price of a Greggs sausage roll. 鈥淢eanwhile, the immense resource challenges we faced under the previous government have not disappeared. Funding shortages, staff recruitment and retention struggles, and an overstretched education system 鈥 these issues persist, and tackling them must be a shared priority.鈥 Schools ‘forced to set deficit budgets’ Moving on to the issue of school funding, he will warn the crisis 鈥渃annot be ignored any longer. 鈥淎cross the country, schools are being forced to set deficit budgets and plan for further cuts. This is 5 simply unsustainable. Education is not a cost, it is an investment 鈥 in our children, in our future, and in our country. 鈥淚f we are serious about building a society that values and supports its young people, we must prioritise education funding and ensure our schools and colleges have the resources they need to deliver the best possible education to every student.鈥 He will also call on the government鈥檚 curriculum and assessment review panel to 鈥渂e bold鈥, and urged government 鈥渄on鈥檛 stand in the way of meaningful reform in the name of a skewed, outdated view of what 鈥榟igh and rising standards鈥 really mean鈥. Botwe will point to ASCL鈥檚 forgotten third commission, which sought to challenge the current situation whereby a third of GCSE pupils don鈥檛 get a standard pass in their maths and English qualifications. He will ask the review to 鈥渋magine a system where assessment in literacy and numeracy is not based on ranking students against each other but instead operates more like a driving test鈥. But he will deny that is a retreat on standards; it is a means of embedding essential literacy and numeracy skills 鈥 the very skills employers demand. It is simply unnecessary and unfair to accept that a third of young people should be sacrificed as acceptable collateral damage.鈥 Warning over ‘darker side’ of technology Botwe will also use his speech to warn today鈥檚 young people 鈥渇ace challenges that are vastly different from those of previous generations. 鈥淭heir world is shaped by smartphones, social media, memes, and influencers 鈥 forces that shape their identities, interactions, and even their mental wellbeing. This technology 鈥渉as brought incredible benefits鈥ut as we all know, it has a darker side. It leaves a trail of harm 鈥 safeguarding concerns, fractured friendships, bullying, anxiety, and the spread of extremist ideologies.鈥 Social media is also 鈥渋ncreasingly鈥eaponised against schools and teachers, with disgruntled parents using it as a platform to target staff鈥. Polling by Teacher Tapp commissioned by ASCL found almost half said students had recorded teachers or other pupils without permission, while over 40 per cent of teachers said parents had made negative comments about their school or staff online.