New special educational needs regime to result in far fewer children being given education, health and care plans

UK politics live – latest updates

Hundreds of thousands fewer children with special educational needs and disabilities (Send) will be given education, health and care plans (EHCPs) as a result of long-awaited changes announced by the education secretary on Monday.

Bridget Phillipson...

Finance campaigner marches on to set and tells Tory leader her policy to cut interest rates will only help top earners

UK politics live – latest updates

Kemi Badenoch has faced what could be described as the stuff of nightmares for a UK politician being interviewed about a personal finance policy: being ambushed and contradicted live on air by Martin Lewis.

As the Conservative leader was being...

Full details of government plans to be published this morning with reforms partly driven by move to contain soaring costs

Here is the Department for Education’s news release from overnight about the Send reforms.

And this is what it says about how it will spend £4bn improving Send provision in English schools,

To dramatically improve the support mainstream schools can provide for children with...

Too many young people go out into the world ill equipped. We’ll change that: we’ll give more rights and support to them and their families

Send support for schoolchildren in England to get £4bn overhaul

The advent of fully comprehensive education. Raising the school leaving age to 16. The introduction of a national curriculum. Each of these reforms reflected the growing value we placed on...

In today’s newsletter: Rising need​ and shrinking budgets have left England’s Send provision at a crossroads, with children’s futures hanging on the success of L​abour’s reforms

Good morning. Across many areas of England today anxious parents of children with special educational needs and disabilities (Send) will be packing their kids back off to school after half-term, waiting to hear what...

Dr Jack Tagg had accrued £14,000 in interest on his loan before he had even finished his studies.

Teachers of primary and secondary children in Aberdeen said they have been “kicked, bitten and spat at” while in class.

Is it to be a degree and heavy debt when graduate jobs are shrinking? Or foregoing a degree, knowing society still worships them? Confused, angry: who wouldn’t be

Some months ago, I was at my old university, speaking to prospective sixth-form and college students about taking a degree in the arts and what future careers they could expect. It was a cohort of teenagers from underrepresented...

‘Generational’ reforms are a key moment for Bridget Phillipson, the education secretary, and for Keir Starmer

Ministers will unveil a “generational” overhaul of special educational needs and disabilities (Send) support, pledging £4bn to transform provision in schools in England and warning councils they could lose control of Send services if they fail to meet their legal duties.

The reforms are...

Labour expected to outline sweeping changes to special educational needs provision with council debt surging

Labour is due to reveal its plans to overhaul the special educational needs and disability (Send) system on Monday. But why are changes needed? And what changes are ministers likely to propose?

Continue reading…

Already struggling to get help, families with children with special needs are concerned changes could make things worse

At the age of 12, May Race’s son Joseph spends almost all of his time in his bedroom, too anxious, burnt out and – she says – traumatised even to join his parents and older brother downstairs most days. Joseph no longer leaves the house at all.

He is autistic and has dyslexia...

Kemi Badenoch says graduates feel ‘stitched up’ as she promises to cut Plan 2 loan interest charges.

Proponents say relaxed uniforms make life easier for children and are much more practical for physical play.

Dozens of universities have received legal letters over what students say they missed out on during Covid.

Some government plans for SEND were leaked earlier this week. But what else do families want to change?

A professional conduct panel says it found Jeremy Gibbs’ apology for his actions superficial.

Liz Hopkin says teachers are not security guards and giving them handheld scanners would not help.

Council spending on Special Educational Needs and Disabilities has soared in recent years.

Leaks suggest plans for a complete redesign of special educational needs and disabilities support in schools.

Students say the night‑time walk between campus and the town centre feels unsafe, citing poor lighting and limited CCTV.

Official figures going back to 2018 are set to take billions in under-reported benefits income into account.