Octopus Legacy - Create a FREE will

We have partnered with Octopus Legacies to offer all of our supporters a free and easily accessible way of writing your will.


When you write your will, you’re shaping the story of your life and you have the power to make that story continue.


By taking up our free will offer and leaving a gift to The Steve Sinnott Foundation, you can help ensure that children and teachers around the world continue to have access to the education and training that they need.


The offer of a free will helps you to plan for the future with ease and reassurance, ensuring loved ones are cared for while also creating a meaningful legacy. It’s a simple, accessible way to do something that feels personally fulfilling and socially impactful.


Leave a legacy — help education flourish for generations to come

As part of the free will writing process, we hope you will consider leaving a legacy gift to the Foundation.

Leaving a legacy gift ensures that your values live on by supporting the Foundation’s mission to advance quality education for all. Your gift can help transform lives, enabling children, teachers, and communities around the world to access learning opportunities that might otherwise be out of reach and make a lasting impact on global education.


Why leave a legacy gift?

1. Make a lasting impact on global education

Your legacy can open classroom doors, train teachers, and empower communities through the gift of learning. Every legacy, large or small, helps to build a world where everyone has the chance to learn and thrive.


2. Reflect your values and inspire others

Your will is a reflection of what matters most to you. By including The Steve Sinnott Foundation, supporters can express their belief in fairness, opportunity, and the power of education to change lives long after their own lifetime and inspire future generations.


3. Peace of mind with a free, professional will

Through our free will offer, you can write or update your will with trusted professionals at no cost to you. It’s an easy, reassuring way to care for your loved ones and make a meaningful difference to others at the same time.


Your gift will:

  • Provide access to quality education for all children
  • Support teachers and educators around the world
  • Promote gender equality and inclusive education
  • Strengthen communities through knowledge and opportunity


Take the next step

Leaving a legacy is simple and it starts with a conversation.


Find out more about our free will offer

Contact our friendly team at www.octopuslegacy.com/will/ssf

to learn how you can create your will and make a lasting difference through education.


Steve Sinnott • January 16, 2026

Putting partnerships at the centre of efforts to address the global teacher shortage

By Oliver Mawhinney, • January 16, 2026
In its 2024 election manifesto, the Labour Party pledged to, ‘...rebuild Britain’s reputation on international development with a new approach based on genuine respect and partnership with the Global South’. The National Education Union (NEU) warmly welcomed this new approach and the opportunities it presented to tackle the global teacher shortage. Just as thousands of additional teachers are required in the UK, millions more teachers are needed globally. 44 million additional teachers must be recruited by 2030 to meet the Sustainable Development Goals for education, including 15 million in sub-Saharan Africa alone. A promise in peril Just over a year into office, the Labour government’s commitment to rebuilding trust and relationships with the Global South is in jeopardy. Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s decision to reduce the UK aid budget to 0.3% of gross national income by 2027 — to fund increased defence spending — has been condemned by humanitarian organisations as, ‘...cruel and shameful.’ Governments across the Global South, including a group of African education ministers, have also urged the UK to rethink its cuts. The consequences of UK aid spending retreating to its lowest level in almost thirty years are already being felt. Schools are closing, teachers are going unpaid, and students are at risk of dropping out of education permanently. In South Sudan, the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has cancelled its flagship girls’ education programme, which had quadrupled girls’ enrolment in school, reaching over 1.2 million girls with cash transfers, helping them to enrol in school and complete their secondary education. Rethinking the cuts As the UK redefines its aid spending priorities, the NEU is calling on the UK government to sustain funding for education in emergencies and prioritise investment in teachers in emergency contexts. Evidence shows that teachers are the single most important factor in children’s learning and recovery. In emergencies their role is even more vital. In addition to teaching, they are frontline professionals, supporting children’s psychological needs and fostering an environment of safety, belonging and routine. Despite their indispensable role, teachers in crisis contexts face severe challenges including low or no pay, threats to their safety and wellbeing, and little or no access to professional development and support. Pupil-teacher ratios often exceed 80:1 or even 120:1, and there is an acute shortage of female teachers. Prioritise teachers to unlock education in emergencies To mark World Teachers’ Day 2025, the NEU published a new policy briefing urging the UK Government to prioritise teachers across its policy, programming and financing. This means committing to advance the rights, working conditions, and supply of qualified teachers in emergency and protracted crises, ensuring that they are trained, paid, protected, and supported. Achieving this is impossible without genuine international partnership. Fragile, conflict-affected, and refugee-hosting countries need sustained cooperation and support to implement strategies that address teacher shortages and uphold teachers’ rights. The role of the wider international community is also crucial. The UN High-Level Panel on the Teaching Profession, established by the Secretary-General, highlighted the urgent need for donors to work together on sustainable, long-term mechanisms to ensure the timely and adequate payment of teacher salaries in crises. The UK Government has a key role to play, by providing both financial and technical support. To unlock the transformative power of education, in Palestine, Ukraine, and every place where children’s futures hang in the balance, we must put teachers and partnerships at the heart of the UK’s global education and development agenda. Read the NEU’s new policy briefing at www.neu.org.uk/about/international BY Oliver Mawhinney International Policy Specialist at the National Education Union

Empowering Student Voices: Young Ambassadors Champion Inclusive Education for All

By Ann Beatty • October 13, 2025
In our continued commitment to ensuring quality and inclusive education for every child, we’ve taken our advocacy to a new level by empowering the next generation to lead the conversation. In partnership with The Gambia Teachers’ Union, we recently convened The Foundation’s Young Ambassadors for a vibrant day of engagement dedicated to promoting the right to education for all. The event brought together passionate students from selected senior secondary schools across Region 1, including St. John’s School for the Deaf, to explore what it truly means to make education inclusive, equitable, and accessible to every learner.

Seeds of Hope 2025: Young People Planting Peace and Sustainability Around the World

By Ann Beatty • October 3, 2025
The Steve Sinnott Foundation is proud to celebrate the inspirational winners of the 2025 Seeds of Hope for a Better Future competition, a global initiative supported by UNESCO that brings together creativity, community, and a shared commitment to peace and sustainability. This unique project invited schools across the world, from nursery and primary through to secondary school, to explore the values of peace, cultural understanding, and care for the planet. In the face of climate change, young people were asked to tell their stories through art, performance, and digital creativity, highlighting how small seeds of action can grow into powerful movements for hope. The results have been extraordinary. Schools in France, the UK, The Gambia, Haiti, and Kenya have been recognised for their outstanding contributions, with projects ranging from community gardens and sculptures to dance performances and illustrated stories. Each winner has shown how young voices and imagination can nurture peace and sustainability in ways that inspire us all. The full Awards Ceremony can be watched linked here: Seeds of Hope For A Better Future Awards Ceremony 2025 Highlights from the Winners Oak View Primary and Nursery School (UK) created Faces of Feeling , a collection of joyful sculptures already exhibited in a local gallery. Judges praised their work as supporting the wellbeing of others and embodying the idea of children as true “Seeds of Hope.” St Joseph’s Senior Secondary School (Gambia) painted Campaign for a Sustainable Banjul , reflecting real-world climate action in their city. The judges described it as “a most deserving and robust winner.” J ardin d'Enfants des Nations Unies (United Nations Nursery School) (France) won hearts with Wind of Peace , where 5-6 year olds combined drawings, paintings, and tree planting to champion reforestation. Lyng Hall Secondary School, Coventry (UK) collaborated with Henley Green Primary and the UK Literacy Association to produce The Heart Shaped Hole – an innovative and metaphorical take on Seeds of Hope. Earlsdon Primary School, Coventry (UK) impressed with Primary Plot , a project that included gardening with the visually impaired, reflecting inclusivity and sustainability. A remarkable cross-collaboration between 21 schools across West Yorkshire, Essex, and Tower Hamlets (UK) resulted in Lights, Camera, Score , an ambitious combination of animation, music, and storytelling. CIMA Community School of Hope (Haiti) shared Konbit - a video of dance and solidarity, inspiring villages to work together for peace and dignity. Daraja Academy (Kenya) presented an ambitious and optimistic project integrating sustainability into everyday school life. Celebrating creativity and peace This year’s competition was judged by an impressive panel of artists, writers, and cultural leaders including Sir Antony Gormley, Edmund de Waal, Dame Liz Forgan, Hugh Quarshie, and Rathna Ramanathan. Their collective expertise highlighted the quality and depth of the entries, each of which showed how art can be a powerful tool for global understanding and change. The Seeds of Hope initiative is part of UNESCO UK’s Arts and Culture for Peace programme, first launched in 2022. It has grown from earlier collaborations such as the Coventry Young Ambassadors’ Islands of Peace Japanese Garden, opened in 2021, a living reminder that seeds planted in communities can continue to flourish. Looking ahead As Ann Beatty, UNESCO ASPnet UK National Coordinator, shared: “The quality of entries was extraordinary. We are delighted at the response to this amazing initiative in collaboration with our international partners.”  And in the words of judge Jannette Cheong: “Young people around the world understand well the value of peace and tolerant relationships between cultures. Their creativity is an inspiration to all of us.” At The Steve Sinnott Foundation, we believe that education is the seed from which hope grows. The Seeds of Hope competition is a shining example of how young people through creativity, compassion, and collaboration are already shaping a more peaceful and sustainable future.