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Starmer Apologizes After Leading Pupils in Banned '6-7' Meme During School Visit

The visit to Welland Academy was intended to highlight an expansion of free school meals for families on universal credit.

Overview

  • During a Year 2 reading session in Peterborough, the prime minister joined children in the hand‑juggling gesture after a pupil noted they were on page 67.
  • Headteacher Jo Anderson said the trend is banned and that children get into trouble for it, prompting his apology and the remark, "I didn't start it, Miss."
  • Starmer later shared the classroom clip on Instagram with the caption, "I think I just got myself put in detention..."
  • Schools have reported the '6-7' craze—linked to Skrilla's Doot Doot (6 7) and named Dictionary.com's 2025 Word of the Year—as a classroom nuisance subject to bans.
  • The policy he came to promote would extend free school meals to roughly 500,000 more children from September 2026, with coverage centering on the viral moment rather than the rollout.