Reflections from Labour Party Conference
Written by Youth Steering Group member, Thomas.
Education has clearly emerged as a top priority for the new Labour government. Since taking office last year, the government has demonstrated its commitment through expanding access to free school meals, prioritising inclusion, and improving teachers’ pay and conditions.
Attending the Labour Party Conference on behalf of the Fair Education Alliance (FEA) was both inspiring and affirming - reinforcing the importance of our mission to ensure that no child’s success is limited by their socioeconomic background. The experience was genuinely fulfilling and energising. I had the chance to engage with MPs, ministers, and leaders from national charities, and to share insights about FEA’s new strategy and our three strands of work - Collective Voice, Collective Action, and Collective Strength.
Throughout the conference, I attended panels on inclusion, attendance, skills, curriculum and assessment reform, as well as sessions on devolution, metro mayors, and communities. These conversations sparked reflection and shaped my key takeaways:
1. Place-based change is gaining momentum.
There’s a stronger appetite than ever for locally driven solutions and collaboration with Mayoral Combined Authorities. Our Neighbourhood to National strategy clearly resonates - helping to shift mindsets about how real change happens and how we tackle educational inequality.
2. Our Wellbeing, Our Voice Coalition is vital.
Across discussions, there was a shared recognition of the need to truly understand young people’s lived experiences and design policies that respond to them. A national wellbeing metric could provide the insight policymakers, headteachers, and community leaders need. Our coalition with TCS, PBE, and BeeWell is helping to make that vision a reality.
3. Early years is an untapped lever.
As someone focused on education, employment, and life chances, I was struck by just how critical early years are - and how deeply they influence later outcomes. Our workshop and private dinner discussions highlighted the importance of issues such as parental leave, the ‘village’ that it takes to raise a child, and high-quality early years provision as foundations for future success.
4. Devolution is a powerful opportunity for change.
By giving regions the power to design solutions that fit their unique contexts, devolution allows for policies that truly reflect local realities. For the FEA, this aligns perfectly with our Neighbourhood to National approach - reimagining how power, policy, and practice connect to create lasting impact.
Looking ahead, the next year will be crucial. We’re awaiting the release of the National Youth Strategy and the Child Poverty Strategy, alongside the final report from the Curriculum and Assessment Review. The Youth Guarantee trailblazer areas will also begin to show outcomes and data. It’s an exciting - and busy - time for youth policy, and this next year will be pivotal in defining Labour’s legacy when it comes to delivering for young people, education, and the wider youth sector.
Thomas
Fair Education Alliance Youth Steering Group