Lessons4Life: Prepare Kids for life, not just exams.

Group photo of Lessons4life meeting in London

London, Wednesday 9th July 2025 — a powerful group of parents, campaigners, policymakers, and educators led by Hayley Sherwood came together in the heart of Westminster to support and drive forward the Lessons4Life campaign.

The meeting was to discuss how we can urgently equip children with the emotional intelligence, digital resilience, and life skills they need to navigate today’s increasingly complex world, both online and offline. But more than that, it was a moment of connection, unity, and shared purpose.

I spoke as a bereaved parent about my beautiful son, Jools, who ended his life at just 14 years old. His death, I believe, was connected to the overwhelming pressures children face today, including the hidden and harmful content they encounter online. I shared the heartbreak of losing him, the unanswered questions that still haunt me, and my fight for Jools’ Law — a campaign to give bereaved parents the legal right to access their child’s digital data after death. At the heart of my campaign is one vital question: how can we protect children if we’re denied the truth about what they’re experiencing online? Our stories matter — because they are one of the reasons Lessons4Life must become part of every child’s education. This isn’t theoretical. It’s real. And it’s deeply personal.

One of the most significant moments of the day was when we hand-delivered a Lessons4Life white paper to 10 Downing Street. This document outlines the urgent need for mandatory life skills education in all UK schools, and proposes a national framework that prioritises emotional wellbeing, digital resilience, and age-appropriate online safety. Children’s lives depend on this.

Larry the Cat, the official Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office

To our delight, we were also greeted by the real boss of Downing Street — Larry the Cat, the official Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office. Larry has lived at No.10 since 2011, outlasting multiple Prime Ministers and clearly unfazed by political chaos. While we stood there delivering a white paper, Larry was snoozing near by like he’d just closed a trade deal and fancied a nap. A purring reminder that in the middle of serious business, there’s always room for a little mischief — and a lot of cat-titude.

Back at the event, we were privileged to hear a powerful talk from Fatima Whitbread MBE. Her story of survival, strength, and self-belief deeply moved the room. A former world javelin champion and Olympian, Fatima has used her own experience of childhood trauma to inspire and advocate for vulnerable young people. It was truly lovely to meet her — she was generous with her time, her words, and her presence. It was also a great pleasure to meet her.

Fatima Whitbread MBE speaking at the Lessons4Life campaign meeting, sharing her story and message of hope

Prioritising Personal Development

Schools are in a strong position to support children to develop positively, while creating a lasting impact on the next generation by helping to educate children in areas, such as:

• emotional regulation and self-care

• improved self-worth and self-confidence

• reduced anxiety

• healthy relationships

• reduction in teen pregnancies

• better understanding of nutrition etc.

Better resourced personal development will directly impact societal issues, but schools need data to inform their focus.

The Lessons4life campaign seeks to enhance support for schools, empowering them to Evaluate, Educate & Elevate personal development for all children.

Key themes from the meeting included:

• Mandating life skills education from primary school age — teaching children about emotional regulation, healthy relationships, consent, and online safety.

• Reforming RSHE (Relationships, Sex and Health Education) to reflect the real-world challenges children face today, including harmful online content, body image, and AI-generated misinformation.

• Bringing young people into the conversation, ensuring youth voice is central to future policy decisions.

• And perhaps most importantly, calling for cross-party political commitment to embed these lessons for life into the national curriculum — not as a bolt-on, but as a core subject.

The energy in the room was driven by purpose. Every attendee shared a desire to protect future generations — to stop other families experiencing preventable loss.

This campaign is not about blame. It’s about responsibility. It’s about giving our children the tools they need to survive — and thrive — in today’s world. It’s about education that saves lives.

You can read more hear....https://www.lessons4life.org