Shabana has written to schools across Ladywood, thanking them for their response to Covid-19 and inviting them to make a mascot for the Commonwealth Games 2022.

In her letter to headteachers, Shabana reflects upon the brilliant work of teachers and school staff after a difficult few months.

Shabana asks schools to share the Commonwealth Games ‘Mascot Maker’ with their students. Children across the country are being invited to create their own Birmingham 2022 mascot which reflects the identity, heritage, and culture of Birmingham and the West Midlands.

You can read her letter in full below.

Letter to schools

Dear Headteacher,

I wrote to you in March to thank everyone at your school for your work during the COVID-19 pandemic. A lot has changed since then, but the challenge ahead of us remains an extraordinary one that will shape our country for years to come.

As summer term comes to a close, it is right to reflect upon the brilliant work of teachers and school staff after a difficult few months. It is also important to think of young people across our city, who have adapted to learning remotely at home to keep their families and communities safe.

Usually, by this time I would have offered to write to your final year pupils to wish them luck on their journey to secondary school. I apologise that in the course of transitioning to home working, and dealing with an increased number of enquiries from constituents, I haven’t been able to make the same offer this year. However, please do pass on my best wishes to students where possible.

For students, this summer break will be like no other – and I know that parents will be grateful for any resource that will keep them occupied, if only for a short amount of time. To that end, I hope that you can share information about the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games nationwide search for a ‘Mascot Maker’ with your students. Children across the country are being invited to create their own Birmingham 2022 mascot which reflects the identity, heritage, and culture of Birmingham and the West Midlands.

The competition is accompanied by exciting new teaching resources to encourage children to learn about the role of mascots in major sporting events before designing their own Birmingham 2022 creation.

It would be great to see a mascot designed by a pupil from Birmingham Ladywood be the star of the Games. I know the young people of our city are ready to step to the challenge. Entries close on August 5^th 2020, and you can find more information at www.birmingham2022.com/mascot.

If your school is taking part, please let me know so I can follow your progress in the competition – you can tweet me on @ShabanaMahmood or email me at shabana.mahmood.mp@parliament.uk.

Thanks again for all of the hard work and dedication your school and its pupils have shown during this academic year.

Yours sincerely,

Shabana Mahmood MP
Birmingham Ladywood