Education Education Education has always been so important to Labour governments and me particularly as a teaching assistant for 7 years. The SEND system has been failing since austerity and covid and the 2014 changes did not work as planned. That’s why we are reforming the school system so that young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities get earlier support when they need it. After 18 months of extensive consultation with families, schools, experts, and government departments, we have published the Schools White Paper, a serious and thoughtful attempt to put things right for the long-term. We’re investing billions over the next 3 years to lay the groundwork for these wider changes. Stand out measures include: £1.6 billion for targeted support in early years, schools, and colleges. £1.8 billion for an “Experts at Hand” service, giving every school access to specialists such as speech and language therapists. £200 million to ensure every teacher receives SEND training. £3.7 billion to expand Inclusion Bases, improve accessibility, and create new special school places. There’s a lot of misinformation, so I want to reiterate that… Every child with SEND will have a legal right to an Individual Support Plan (ISP) or an EHCP. Existing EHCPs will remain protected. Any transition to ISPs in mainstream schools will not begin until 2030 and only at natural transition points. No child in a special school will be required to move to mainstream. Tribunals will remain available as a last resort. A public consultation on the Paper is open until 18 May 2026. To take part, follow this link: SEND reform: putting children and young people first - GOV.UK I will also be engaging with families and professionals through round tables to gather local perspectives. If you would like to take part, please contact my office by emailing jayne.kirkham.mp@parliament.uk or calling 01872 300 353

With the support of £1 billion from GB Energy, the UK’s new state energy company, we can generate and benefit from energy produced in our own communities. As we transition to clean power, we have the chance to build an economy that works for local people and the planet rather than rich oil companies.   The Co-operative Party has long campaigned for publicly owned and community-controlled power, and this made it into the Labour manifesto. The Government’s Local Power Plan is the biggest public investment in community energy in our history, backing more than 1,000 local clean energy projects in libraries, leisure centres and community spaces. Cornwall is already seeing the benefits of GB Energy, with funding for solar panels on hospitals and schools to cut energy bills. And £40,000 was recently awarded to Community Energy Plus for the Cornwall Home Upgrade Hub, to help households reduce energy use and costs. We have strong foundations for local power. Under the Low Carbon Communities Challenge launched in 2009 under the last Labour government, Low Carbon Ladock received £500,000 to invest in solar panels on homes, biomass boilers, and ground‑source and air‑source heat systems. Profits have since funded a safer school crossing, improvements to the playing field and more renewables. The Local Power Plan is a move towards greater energy security for the future, local prosperity, and a fairer system. It shows that locally owned, clean power is not only possible but ready to go.

One of the Prime Minister’s ambitions is for 2/3 of young people to be in higher or further education or in an apprenticeship. And apprenticeships are traditionally the best way for young people to access and learn new skills while also earning a wage. Education should lead us to decent and rewarding jobs. The Government is backing apprenticeships with funding for training and I am working with Government to see how we can put more into them from the Apprenticeship Levy – particularly hospitality jobs. Hopefully, the new Youth Guarantee will help young people in Cornwall who are struggling out of work and education. Significant investment is being made to support young people who are not in education, employment or training (NEET): Those who are between 16 and 24 on Universal Credit will be able to access thousands of new training or workplace opportunities in all sorts of sectors, including construction, health and social care and hospitality. Youth Hubs will be expanded to every local area. A new Youth Guarantee Gateway will give dedicated sessions and support to almost 900,000 young people on Universal Credit. For National Apprenticeship week I visited the Cornwall Apprenticeship Awards, where so many young people had overcome personal challenges, gained new skills and moved on in their lives and also gained huge amounts of confidence. I also met apprentices from Pendennis Shipyard who were helping do up Falmouth Primary School’s new breakfast club building.

It’s great that Falmouth Primary has been awarded funding for a Free Breakfast Club from April 2026. In Truro and Falmouth, we already have Free Breakfast Clubs at Tregony Community Primary School and St Francis CofE Primary School. These clubs give young people the best start to the day and support parents at the same time. So far, 7 million breakfasts have been served. Applications just opened for 1,500 schools to join the programme in September. See how to apply here: free-breakfast-clubs.education.gov.uk Falmouth Primary Academy also have an upcoming trip to London, where the travel fund from Parliament has helped fund their travel. I also want some some Cornish schools to benefit from the funding for the new school nurseries. I have been doing some work with the Parliament Education office, and they recently announced changes that will make it easier for schools from deprived areas far from Westminster to get tickets and travel funding. This is essential for areas far from Westminster, like us here in Cornwall.

My son will attest that I don’t have much of a grasp of technology, and I know many parents feel the same. Most of us don’t have a full awareness of what our children are doing online or the reality of the content they’re seeing. Change is needed to keep young people safe online, which is why the government’s consultation launched in January is so important. We are taking action to make the online world safer by: Considering and debating the introduction of a minimum social media age limit. Restricting harmful design features. Preventing children from sending or receiving nude images. Tightening online safety laws so AI chatbot providers must operate with proper controls. Ending high-risk features such as stranger pairing and live streaming. Work is also underway on automatic data preservation so that, in tragic circumstances, coroners have access to crucial evidence. Running the ‘ You Won’t Know Until You Ask’ campaign to give parents practical tools to start important conversations about body image, misinform ation, and harmful content. Stopping X’s AI bot, Grok, from creating non-consensual sexualised images. Protecting children must come first, and platforms must be held accountable. But our decisions need to be thoughtful, evidence based and grounded in the realities of children’s lives. Overly strict bans risk pushing young people to new and less regulated platforms or leaving them unprepared at 17. And lots of children, including those in rural areas, disabled children, or LGBTQ+ young people, use social media for connection, community and support.

Recently, I visited Crantock Beach, a beautiful surf spot and holiday destination, but also a coastline vulnerable to powerful Atlantic swells and storms. I met members of the Crantock Surf Life Saving (SLS) Club, who are fundraising for a new clubhouse, as their current building is deteriorating and now sits close to the cliff edge. The club has 160 members, many of them local children training to become lifeguards. With several rip currents caused by shifting sands, their skills play a really important role in keeping beach users safe in Cornwall. The RNLI also operates from the site. Jolyon from Making Space for Sand (MS4S), a project helping coastal communities adapt to erosion, rising sea levels and increasing storm activity, showed me how the dunes are moving faster than expected. This activity has forced the club to relocate equipment and reinforce its shed to keep operating. MS4S has provided secure storage units and contributed funding towards a more resilient clubhouse. If you can help, your donation will support the SLS Club to create a safe, future-proof space for training and community events.

As a backbench MP, it is rare to see one of your Bills make it into law. That’s why I’m so pleased that the Armed Forces Bill 2026 has incorporated the proposal from my Ten Minute Rule Bill to bring Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) personnel within the remit of the new Armed Forces Commissioner. The Armed Forces Bill will also contain improvements for terms and conditions for service personnel, particularly in their housing, which was privatised under a Conservative government. This government will bring it back in-house and improve standards. Support for Veterans is also going to be improved with Operation Valour, the start of a nationwide service, so veterans can access the help and support they need when they leave the services and for as long as they need it afterwards. Cornwall has a proud military heritage. Many families here have someone who served or is still serving. They deserve safe homes, fair treatment and a system that understands the unique demands of military life.

It’s hard to ignore the broken water system here in Cornwall, especially when the sea turns brown after rain. Poor water quality is not only bad for our health and environment, but also our local economy. Change is overdue. This month, we launched the new Water White Paper to tackle the broken water system head-on. It marks the most significant reform of the system in a generation. The Paper will replace the weak, fragmented regulatory framework with a single, powerful regulator supported by a Chief Engineer, unannounced inspections, and dedicated supervisory teams. It will introduce open monitoring of sewage discharges, major investment in storm overflow and wastewater upgrades, and stronger measures to address farming runoff. Since taking office, the Government has: secured £104 billion in private investment to upgrade infrastructure, banned unfair bonuses for water executives, criminalised pollution cover-ups, passed the Water (Special Measures) Act 2025 to strengthen accountability. Together, these reforms will create a more reliable water system, and Cornwall will benefit.

Storm Goretti really shook Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. Homes and businesses were damaged, vulnerable people were isolated, and tragically, a life was lost. Many of our roads have been blocked, power and internet connections were cut, and some have been without water. Our emergency services, utility teams, volunteers, and neighbours have responded brilliantly. I’m immensely proud of the way Cornwall has come together in the face of adversity. As the clean-up continues, I’ve been listening to your experiences and looking at how Cornwall can be better prepared. The storm exposed weaknesses in our infrastructure, communication systems, and emergency planning. We need to consider long-term backup options rather than relying solely on digital systems. We must also improve priority services for vulnerable people, enabling organisations such as the NHS to make automatic referrals and reducing the need for individuals to self‑register. At a public meeting I hosted in Penryn, we discussed practical ways to build local resilience. These included establishing designated emergency hubs with generators and satellite phones in every village, strengthening community emergency plans, maintaining updated lists of vulnerable residents, and creating an interactive map showing blocked routes and hub locations. In the meantime, if you haven’t already self‑registered with your service providers, please do. I’d also encourage everyone to prepare an emergency box with essential items such as water, candles, a power bank, a battery‑powered radio, and a camping stove just in case. As storms of this magnitude become more likely, strengthening local resilience must be a priority.

I’m hopeful for 2026; thanks to the extensive groundwork laid in the first year, we are beginning to see results. Interest rates have fallen, helping homeowners with mortgages Inflation is easing Wages are rising faster than they have in a decade We’ve raised the National Living Wage We’ve cut £150 from the average energy bill Frozen rail fares Opened 500 more Free Breakfast Clubs Frozen prescription charges Investment in the NHS has delivered 5 million extra appointments and reduced waiting lists Renters now have stronger protections The Employment Rights Act is giving people greater security at work The Two‑Child Limit has been scrapped, lifting 450,000 children out of poverty The state pension has increased These are real, practical changes that are already helping improve everyday life.

From our pets and wildlife, to the farm animals that sustain our rural economy, animal welfare matters to us. That is why I am proud this Labour Government has launched the most ambitious Animal Welfare Strategy in a generation. We are closing loopholes, strengthening protections, and reviewing penalties for wildlife cruelty. We are banning trail hunting and cruel snare traps, and introducing a close season for hares. For pets, reforms will tackle puppy farming and smuggling, end imports of underage puppies, and consult on banning electric shock collars. Through the Renters’ Rights Bill, we’ll also make it easier for tenants to keep pets in rented homes. Farmed animals will benefit too, with the Animal Health and Welfare Pathway supporting high standards and phasing out confinement systems. And for the first time, humane slaughter standards for farmed fish will be recognised in law. Combined with plans to reduce animal testing, this strategy reflects our values as a nation of animal lovers. Thank you to all my constituents who have been campaigning hard for this change.

Thank you to everyone who has been in touch this year. My office is always here to listen and help. While my team will take a short break between Christmas and the New Year, we will be back at full strength in January, and I look forward to getting straight back to work. If you need support, you can reach me by email at jayne.kirkham.mp@parliament.uk   or by phone on 01872 300 353 . However you spend the festive season, I hope you find moments of peace. Wishing you a joyful Christmas and a hopeful New Year. Thank you for your support. Yours, Jayne Christmas Card Competition This year, I invited pupils from Tregolls School in Truro and St Francis School in Falmouth to design the front and back of my Christmas card. Congratulations to Chloe and Evelyn for their winning designs, and a huge thank you to every child who took part. It was lovely to receive such a brilliant selection of artwork, and I have all the entries proudly displayed in my constituency office window in Truro. If you’re passing by, do take a look.