This month, many pupils across the country have started sitting their exams, including hundreds of pupils in our local secondary schools.  

It was a tough start to the school year for over 200 schools across the country as they had to tackle the RAAC crisis with literally days until the school year began. Two of our local schools have been forced to wrestle with the presence of RAAC and asbestos, with serious changes to the facilities they are able to use.  

This has of course had an impact on pupils who faced significant disruption to their education with many of them missing out on chunks of face-to-face learning. They have been hugely resilient and worked so hard despite many challenges. They deserve recognition of these challenges they've faced.  

I have written to exam boards asking them to consider the impact this disruption has had on pupils when it comes to grading their exams this summer, I have written to the Education Secretary demanding the same. Neither seems willing to properly recognise the difficulties these pupils have faced.  

In light of the lack of movement on this issue, I raised it in Parliament at the end of last week and made clear that currently it will not be a level playing field for pupils unless an uplift for these pupils who were so disrupted by the RAAC and asbestos crisis is properly considered.  

I will be writing to the Government once again to continue to press on this issue. Our young people deserve recognition for an incredibly tough year, and I will continue to make this case.  

Turning to international affairs, I know so many of you will join me in horror at the prospect of a ground invasion in Rafah. I have repeatedly made the point in Parliament that this would be utterly catastrophic.  

Rafah had a population of 250,000 people which has now swollen to over a million people.

They are living in unbearable conditions. Hundreds of thousands of people fled their homes and headed to Rafah, desperately hoping for safety there.

They are now being told to evacuate. To where? The places they had to flee because they were not safe that are now flattened.  

These people are starving and exhausted and a ground invasion in Rafah would have utterly horrific consequences for them. We are already seeing airstrikes in densely packed areas, reports of aid being blocked and famine in Northern Gaza. I continue to repeat my call for an immediate ceasefire. We cannot allow this to continue.  

As always, please do not hesitate to get in touch if you have any issues or concerns you would like to raise with me. I can be reached on [email protected] or on 01926 882006.