The new Schools Allergy Code has been launched to help schools keep pupils with allergies safe. The code of practice, which is a collaboration between The Allergy Team, the Benedict Blythe Foundation, and the Independent Schools' Bursars Association, covers emergency response, awareness, policies and training. According to new research from The Allergy Team, 58 per cent of parents of children with allergies have said their child had an allergic reaction or “near miss” while at school. On average, allergies to food affect one or two children in every class of 30, but leading doctors have warned the UK is behind the rest of the world when managing allergies. By Aasma Day, iNews.

The Telegraph reveals the controversial LGBT charity Stonewall granted funding for two editions of the Valuing All God’s Children report, produced by the Church of England. The guidance, which remains in use nationwide, states that primary schoolchildren as young as five can be transgender. By Tim Sigsworth.

In an interview with The Guardian, Bridget Phillipson, the shadow education secretary, said Labour wants schools to develop young male role models who could provide a “powerful counterbalance” to Andrew Tate, a self-professed “misogynist” influencer. Ms Phillipson added: “I would hope that the young male mentors involved would then also be able to share their experiences more widely, to kind of shift the discussion around what it is to be growing up as a young man today in modern Britain.” By Eleni Courea and Sally Weale.

Speaking to The Times, Michelle Donelan, secretary of state for science, innovation and technology, said “if my child was nine now and not nine months, I certainly wouldn’t be giving him a phone. That’s my choice and my decision and every family is different.” Ms Donelan wants to encourage parents to use existing tools to monitor their children’s online behaviour. By Mark Sellman.

Vice-chancellor Professor Deborah Prentice has launched a diversity drive to encourage more students from “all backgrounds” to apply to the University of Cambridge, including those from across the north west of England. In 2022, almost 50 per cent of applications from UK students originated from London and the south east, while 7.7 per cent were from the north west and 2.1 per cent from the north east. The vice-chancellor said that the university “has made real progress in recent years in welcoming a more diverse group of students, and the proportion of students who join from state schools has risen significantly”. By Louisa Clarence-Smith, The Telegraph.

A Daily Express exclusive reveals a group of MPs, London Mayor Sadiq Khan and charity campaigners are calling on the chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, to extend free school meals for all primary school pupils in England. This comes after new figures showed 15 per cent of UK households are living in food insecurity. Graham Whitham, chief executive at Greater Manchester Poverty Action, said: “Families across the country are being hit hard by soaring living costs, and at a time when every penny counts, we've got to get past this awful situation where you have to meet a very low-income threshold for your child(ren) to be eligible for free school meals... [it] hasn't been updated since 2018." By Emily Braeger.

Children starting Year 7 in England and Wales this September will be offered places this week. Friday 1 March will be the day pupils find out where they will be attending secondary school. BBC News answers five key questions relating to secondary school admissions. By Alice Evans.

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