Jodie Gosling MP: speeches

Speeches

• 20 Apr 2026 · Supported Internships · Hansard source

  More

  I thank the Secretary of State for her commitment to supporting supported interns and for the announcement of £9 million for non-EHCP—education, health and care plan—pilots. Almost 80% of our brilliant supported interns in Nuneaton go on into paid employment, well above the national average of 5% of young people with learning difficulties. Will the Secretary of State please give us more information about what support will be available to enable our colleges to deliver in line with the SEND White Paper? Also, will she join me at either our brilliant Queen Elizabeth award-winning North Warwickshire and South Leicestershire college, or at George Eliot hospital to see the real impact of supported interns and celebrate their achievements?

• 9 Mar 2026 · Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill · Hansard source

  More

  I rise to speak to Lords amendment 105. As the chair of the all-party parliamentary group on allergy, a lifelong allergy sufferer, a former teacher and the parent of a lifelong allergy sufferer, I am painfully aware of the inconsistencies of allergy care, and the anxiety and harm that it causes. Baroness Morgan of Cotes’ amendment aimed to introduce new requirements based on learning, following the tragic deaths of Benedict Blythe and others. While I believe that there is much more that can be done to improve the lives of allergy sufferers, I am pleased that the creation of new statutory advice and the implementation of Benedict’s law will vastly improve the situation for children with allergies. All schools will now be required to stock allergy devices, have a dedicated allergy policy and ensure that teachers are trained, meaning that lifesaving treatments for allergies will no longer be hidden in tupperware boxes at the back of dusty cupboards. It means that no parents will ever receive a phone call like I did, when I was asked whether my child, in the school’s care, needed to use their auto-injector, knowing full well that if the answer was yes, it could have already been too late. I am proud that the Government are putting allergies at the heart of proactive, preventive school planning. Recent approval from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency means that more adrenalin devices are available, including stable, long-lasting and less-traumatic adrenalin nasal sprays. I would appreciate it if the Minister can confirm that nasal sprays and other adrenalin devices will be available in schools following the new statutory advice. Children are more likely to have a reaction in school than anywhere else: 80% of food allergy reactions happen in schools, including a quarter for the first time. That is why it is essential that schools have devices available, even before diagnosis occurs. I want to celebrate the campaigning of Baroness Morgan of Cotes and the incredible work of Helen Blythe. The implementation of Benedict’s law in full will reduce the risk to our children. It will ensure that every child starts the school day safe, and will reduce the fear that they will not leave it that way, even if they have allergies.

• 3 Feb 2026 · Educational Outcomes: Disadvantaged Boys and Young Men · Hansard source

  More

  It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Sir John. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Hitchin (Alistair Strathern) for securing this debate and allowing me two minutes to speak. I was a primary school teacher for 25 years and an early years practitioner, and I have seen very young children become disengaged with education—especially boys, who are already on a pathway to not showing us what they are capable of. Part of my role was to be a forest school leader, and I worked with small groups of challenging boys who were causing disruption in classrooms—not learning, and disrupting the learning of others. We used to work outside, building ambition, resilience and concentration through physical work, tree climbing and exploring. The boys and girls in the forest school—although it was predominantly boys—were given a sense of autonomy over their learning and control of their lives. The transformation of those disadvantaged children was significant. Teachers in the classroom afterwards said that their concentration, behaviour, attainment and even attendance had improved while they were taking part in those courses. I attended Harrogate Army foundation college with the armed forces parliamentary scheme, and was absolutely blown away by the stories of 16 and 17-year-olds—predominantly boys—who told me that they had dropped out of school, sometimes years ago, had no GCSEs, spent their days playing games, watching YouTube or getting into a bit of bother, and now were up at 6 and passing exams. They had never considered that possible, and they were physically fitter than they had ever dreamed. There are many studies linking physical activities such as running and forest school to better attainment and improved concentration. I agree with my hon. Friend the Member for Hitchin. Does the Minister believe that in order to address the decades-old issues with the gaps in boys’ attainment, we need to consider evidence from when they have engaged and succeeded, and reconsider the environment in which we are asking them to learn by taking a more creative approach to education that meets their emotional and physical needs?

• 20 Jan 2026 · ADHD Diagnosis · Hansard source

  More

  It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Ms Vaz. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Sefton Central (Bill Esterson) for highlighting this hugely important issue. My inbox, like many people’s, is full of parents with children who are struggling, especially those who have comorbidities. Their combined conditions make them doubly disadvantaged, and their unmet needs cause significant harm to their physical and mental health, hugely increasing their complexity and meaning that their years of education are not used to maximise their potential. In Warwickshire, there seems to be a Catch-22 with ADHD waiting lists. Coventry and Warwickshire ICB’s waiting list now stands at more than 7,500 children—a 10-year waiting list for some. The ICB often does not accept ADHD referrals for under-sevens, despite the evidence showing that this early period is when interventions are most impactful. Potentially, the earliest a child can expect a diagnosis is at 17, after their entire educational career. The adult waiting list, as we heard from my hon. Friend the Member for North Warwickshire and Bedworth (Rachel Taylor), has been closed since May 2025. It is due to reopen this year, which we very much welcome, but this provides a very narrow assessment window for when a child can get through the waiting list and not be considered an adult. To further complicate issues, for children who have been referred for general neurodiversity assessments, there is difficulty in ensuring a consistent pathway back to ADHD assessments and the waiting list. I would welcome a defined pathway so that children and professionals have certainty that they will receive the support they need.

• 22 Jul 2025 · Sir David Amess Summer Adjournment · Hansard source

  More

  I join colleagues in paying tribute to Sir David Amess, a true champion of his constituency. With that inspiration in mind, and with the summer recess ahead, I want to celebrate just a few of the incredible people and the progress made in Nuneaton. Nuneaton has the proud legacy of hosting the first legal Lionesses game, so I will start with football. Just over a year ago, our football team, Nuneaton Town FC, had no home, no team and no committee, yet this year they have managed to top the league, achieving promotion with 121 goals. I thank the board, the fans, Ministers and the Football Foundation for their support. I look forward to bringing our club back home. This past year has shown me the enormous heart and talent of my town. I commend those who supported the George Eliot hospital through the mayor’s appeal. It raised £46,000, which was presented by Mayor Bill Hancox and Alderwoman Sheila Hancox earlier this year. The breast cancer unit will now hopefully move into a new diagnostics centre to continue supporting health in our communities. I thank the dedicated staff at George Eliot hospital, especially Annette Tracey, who retired after 51 years in the NHS, including 45 years in the breast cancer unit. Their work has reduced waiting lists and improved care not only across Nuneaton but across our country. Mary Ann Evans hospice remains a pillar of our community. It is the proud legacy and final resting place of one of my predecessors, the honourable Bill Olner. I join my hon. Friend the Member for North Warwickshire and Bedworth (Rachel Taylor) in celebrating “Cheers to 60” with CEO Liz Hancock, who has selflessly turned over her 60th year to raising even more funds for those vital services. I am proud that Nuneaton and Bedworth elected its first Nepalese-Gurkha mayor, Councillor Bhim Saru, who is a strong advocate for St Mary’s ward and the Gurkha community as a whole. Around Nuneaton, we are making good progress on improving job prospects. This year I have visited many businesses, schools and training institutes. Hercules Construction Academy trained more than 1,000 apprentices last month. North Warwickshire and South Leicestershire college’s supported internships are breaking down barriers for disabled people to access good work, and it was a privilege to revisit four of those interns who are now in good work and thriving, their confidence booming. It was an honour to hold the first SEND Parliament earlier this year and to see how the Government can support the expansion of these schemes. This year, we held our first Nuneaton sports and activities festival, which was a great success, showcasing the role of sports in community cohesion and improving health and wellbeing. Clubs like Nuneaton rugby football club and Nuneaton Taekwon-Do are thriving, with Nuneaton’s George Wright winning bronze at the 2024 European championships. Like most post-industrial towns, Nuneaton has seen its challenges, but our town centre is now transforming. New college buildings, a food hall, retail units and a leisure hub are nearing completion. The business improvement district is thriving and jumping into action with new wardens and a packed schedule of summer events. We still have issues with crime and antisocial behaviour, which are being tackled by the brilliant officers at Nuneaton and Bedworth borough council, in conjunction with Councillor Nicky King and Warwickshire police. We are seeing the return of designated town centre officers and a summer crime blitz to make Nuneaton the proud place we all need to see. It has been an honour to serve Nuneaton this year. In the key areas of jobs, health, education and crime, we are making real progress. I look forward to continuing this work and rebuilding our thriving, proud town. I thank my team and the House staff who support Members for all their work, which makes it possible to make the change we were put here to make. I wish them a restful, peaceful and safe break.