Education


Providing sanctuary for refugees 10/12/2019 Neil Merrick finds out what councils across the country are doing to welcome and resettle Syrian refugees.
Councils welcome education improvements in Wales 04/12/2019 Council leaders in Wales have welcomed improvements to all areas of the country’s education system.
Bristol accused of 'abject failure' over SEND care plans 26/11/2019 An overhaul of services for children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) is under way at Bristol City Council, after it failed to meet deadlines for families applying for support.
Council wins battle to ban anti LGBT protests 26/11/2019 Birmingham City Council has won a court battle to permanently ban anti-LGBT protests outside a local primary school.
Exclusion process suffers ‘serious weaknesses’ 11/11/2019 The current system for excluding pupils from school suffers from ‘serious weaknesses’ and needs overhauling, a new report has found.
Whitehall announces £18m for a dozen ‘left behind' areas 04/11/2019 The education secretary Gavin Williamson has today announced that the Opportunity Area programme will receive more funding to help improve educational outcomes and careers advice.
Councils receive free childcare funding boost 31/10/2019 Councils offering 15 hours free childcare for disadvantaged two-year-olds will receive an increase in their hourly funding, the Government has confirmed today.
Council chiefs call for an end to ‘patchwork’ of careers advice 29/10/2019 Local government leaders have called on Whitehall to hand funding and control of national skills schemes to local areas as they warn thousands of young people risk missing out on careers advice.
Whitehall launches £400m improvement fund for academies 28/10/2019 Academies and sixth form colleges can now bid for a share of a multi-million pound fund to help improve facilities, the Government has announced.
Councils spending more than £4m on SEN tribunals 28/10/2019 Local authorities spent £4.3m on handling and contesting special educational needs tribunals last year - an increase of nearly a quarter compared to the year before.
Special educational needs reforms ‘poorly implemented’, MPs say 23/10/2019 A generation of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities is being failed by the Government’s SEND reforms, MPs warn.
Whitehall commits £19m for young people leaving care 23/10/2019 Young people leaving care have been promised better housing, healthcare and employment opportunities in a new government scheme.
Charity calls for ‘whole Government approach’ to health of young people 16/10/2019 Whitehall should transform its policies across housing, transport and education in order to secure the future health of today’s young people, charity says.
Children with special educational needs home schooled ‘as last resort’ 15/10/2019 Parents of SEN children often home school their kids as a last resort rather than a preferred choice, a new Ofsted report has revealed.
Nine in 10 complaints about SEND provision upheld by Ombudsman 03/10/2019 The Ombudsman is receiving more complaints about education, health and care plans (EHCP) than ever before – and the vast majority are being upheld.
Six councils conned into spending thousands of pounds on illegal school 03/10/2019 Six local authorities were duped into paying thousands of pounds to educate vulnerable children in an unsafe illegal school.
Holyrood launches review of additional support provision in schools 23/09/2019 The Scottish government is calling on parents of children with additional support needs to give their views about the educational help available to their kids.
Quarter of teachers work more than 60 hours a week, study reveals 18/09/2019 One in four teachers work more than 60 hours a week and many work in the evenings, a new study has revealed.
Council criticised after SEN child left without education for over a year 12/09/2019 Worcestershire CC complaints policy has been criticised after a boy with special educational needs was left without appropriate education for 14 months.
Cash-strapped councils struggling to support SEND children, auditors warn 11/09/2019 Auditors have warned that councils are coming under growing financial pressure as the demand for supporting school pupils with the greatest needs rises.
PM announces new wave of free school applications 10/09/2019 The Government has announced the latest round of applications for the controversial free schools programme in an effort to ‘drive up education standards’.
Whitehall to review support for children with special educational needs 06/09/2019 The Government has announced a major review into the support offered to children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
Councils call for incentives to help schools support children with special needs 29/08/2019 Mainstream schools should be incentivised to accept more children with special needs, council leaders have said today.
Council chiefs warn of ‘looming’ school places crisis 27/08/2019 Council leaders have called on the Government to give them more powers to open maintained schools to help avoid an impending secondary school place shortage.
Give councils powers to help young people into work, council chiefs say 23/08/2019 Council chiefs have called for more powers to help young people into work as figures reveal a dramatic increase in the number of young people not in education, employment or training.
Braverman calls on Government to ‘double down’ on free schools 13/08/2019 Tory MP Suella Braverman has urged the Government to speed up the expansion of free schools which she argues act as ‘drivers of competition and innovation’.
Council apologises after anxious girl misses months of school 08/08/2019 Leeds City Council left a young girl without proper education for nine months after she started refusing to go to her primary school because of anxiety, the ombudsman has found.
Council warned to reduce or replace property portfolio by auditors 06/08/2019 Audit Scotland has told a council that it has 'limited time' to curb spending before its reserves run out.
Adult education budget devolved to six combined authorities 01/08/2019 Six mayoral combined authorities and the GLA will be responsible for the adult education budget in their areas from today, the Government has announced.
Education disadvantage gap has ‘stopped closing’, think tank reveals 30/07/2019 Poorer pupils in the North are struggling to keep up with their peers, an education think tank reveals, as research shows the education disadvantage gap has stopped closing.
Ombudsman reveals ‘gaps’ in the SEN redress system 25/07/2019 An investigation has revealed gaps in the Special Educational Needs redress system which prevent it from being transparent and accountable to parents.
MPs call for £1bn funding boost to fix 'broken' education system 19/07/2019 The Government has been urged to invest £1bn for schools and colleges to fix the 'broken' education funding system by the Education Committee.
Council chiefs warn SEN reforms will ‘break’ their budgets 19/07/2019 County council leaders have warned that reforms to expand special educational needs (SEN) services will ‘break’ their budgets.
Ombudsman tells councils to ‘be clear’ about home-schooling visits 18/07/2019 Councils must be clear with parents of home-schooled children whether home visits are routine or triggered by specific concerns, the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has said.
Kent CC warns of ‘dire’ £14m SEND deficit 11/07/2019 Kent County Council has warned it is facing a 'dire' £14m financial deficit for the cost of special needs education provision.
Fifth of local government leaders ‘privately educated’ 25/06/2019 Around 20% of local government leaders and 29% of MPs are privately educated compared to 7% of the population, a report into social mobility has revealed.
Whitehall approves 22 new free schools 14/06/2019 Bids to create 22 new free schools have been approved, education secretary Damien Hinds has announced.
Birmingham LGBT dispute: A challenge for policymakers 13/06/2019 Mark Whitehead examines the role of Birmingham City Council in helping to resolve the LGBT school row.
Poorest children most affected by early years funding crisis, research finds 12/06/2019 The poorest children are bearing the brunt of cuts in funding for early years education, according to campaigners.
Some schools 'discouraging' admission of special needs children 11/06/2019 Children with special needs are being discouraged from attending some primary schools, education experts have warned.
Councils warn of national 'special needs emergency' 06/06/2019 Councils are supporting more than 130 extra children and young people with special education needs every day, new figures have revealed.
Campaigners deliver petition to tackle crisis in special needs education 31/05/2019 Teachers and campaigners have launched a call for more funds to pay for special needs education.
Apprenticeship system ‘failing’ to make progress, MPs warn 22/05/2019 Local government leaders have backed sharp criticism by MPs of the current apprenticeship system.
Sixth form funding declines ‘substantially’, think tank warns 13/05/2019 Education funding for 16 to 19 year olds has ‘declined substantially’ over the last decade, new research has revealed.
Schools ‘fear-monger’ to remove pupils, survey finds 10/05/2019 Teachers have told Ofsted that they want to see more support for parents to help them push back against the practice of ‘off-rolling’.
Councils should help pupils at risk of expulsion, report says 07/05/2019 Local authorities should establish forums where schools and other local services could convene to plan support for vulnerable pupils at risk of expulsion, according to a landmark review.
Teachers ‘burnt out’ by assessments, union says 23/04/2019 Teachers and pupils are being ‘burnt out’ by the demands of assessments, the national teachers union warns.
Over 55,000 pupils disappear from school records 18/04/2019 More than 55,000 pupils have left school for unexplained reasons over the last decade, new research has revealed.
Primary schools to be provided with free sanitary products 16/04/2019 Free sanitary products will be offered to girls in all primary schools in England from early next year, the Government has announced.
Special needs provision in schools cut by over £1bn 16/04/2019 Children and young people who have special educational needs and disabilities have lost out on £1.2bn of Government funding over the last four years.
Teachers are ‘deeply concerned’ about the effects of poverty 15/04/2019 Teachers are ‘deeply concerned’ about the effects of poverty and low income on their pupils, a new survey of education professionals has revealed.
Thousands of children being taught in illegal schools 12/04/2019 Up to 6,000 children are being educated in illegal schools across England putting their safety and education at risk, a watchdog has warned.
Funding for SEND education ‘nowhere near enough’, think tank says 04/04/2019 Cuts to local government have resulted in funding for children with special educational needs dropping by 17% per pupil, a new study has revealed.
Whitehall publishes consultation on home school register 02/04/2019 Local authority leaders have welcomed proposals from the Government to launch a new register of all children not attending mainstream schools.
School children in referral units doubles within a decade 01/04/2019 The number of primary school children in Pupil Referral Units has more than doubled since 2011. according to the Labour Party.
Councils play ‘unique role’ in school place creation, LGA says 29/03/2019 Local authorities should be recognised for their role in creating school places and should be given more powers to continue this task, council chiefs say.
Council consults on £20m school investment 27/03/2019 Wiltshire County Council has launched a consultation on how to invest at least £20m in special school education.
Holyrood publishes guidance to help support young people with additional needs 27/03/2019 Councils in Scotland are being given extra help to improve its 'world-leading' education for young people with additional support needs.
Welsh council to withdraw from school improvement body 22/03/2019 Neath Port Talbot Council has announced that it intends to pull out of the ERW due to ‘major concerns’ over the school body’s governance and financing.
Progress on qualification and skill levels must be made ahead of Brexit 18/03/2019 The Government and employers must do more to increase qualification and skill levels in the British workforce in the face of Britain’s possible exit from the European Union, think tank says.
Poll reveals ‘rising tide’ of pupil poverty 15/03/2019 A shocking new survey of headteachers has revealed that schools have become an ‘unofficial fourth emergency service’ for poor and vulnerable children.
Around 3,500 school places to be created for pupils with complex needs 11/03/2019 Thousands of new school places are being created for children with special needs or those facing additional challenges in mainstream education, Whitehall says
Primary schools to teach about mental wellbeing 26/02/2019 The Department for Education has announced that primary school children are to be taught how to look after their mental wellbeing and how to recognise when classmates may be struggling.
Teaching union rejects pay offer from councils 22/02/2019 The 9% pay increase offered to teachers in Scotland has been rejected by members of trade union EIS.
Pilot project helps a third of youths quit ‘county lines’ 14/02/2019 Specialist support helped nearly a third of young people in a pilot project to quit 'county lines' involvement with drugs, according to a review.
Whitehall cuts result in ‘lost generation’ of deaf children 13/02/2019 England’s deaf children are falling a whole grade behind their hearing class mates despite deafness not being a learning disability, a charity has warned.
MPs blast Whitehall’s ‘confused’ approach to early years education 07/02/2019 MPs have criticised the Government’s 30 hours childcare commitment arguing that it ‘confused’ and ‘entrenches’ disadvantage.
Commissioner calls for compulsory register of ‘off the grid’ children 04/02/2019 Thousands of children are receiving no school education and are invisible to local authorities, the Children’s Commissioner for England has warned.
Schools to try ‘mindfulness’ in new mental health trials 04/02/2019 Hundreds of children and young people are to take part in trials testing a range of ‘innovative techniques’ designed to support good mental health in schools, the education secretary has announced.
Three areas pilot schemes to get care leavers into work or education 29/01/2019 Three areas have been chosen to pilot schemes to help care leavers access education and employment.
Holyrood urged to promote gender equality in education 25/01/2019 The Scottish government is being urged to establish a new commission to promote equality for girls and women in education.
School league tables ‘punish’ the wrong schools 24/01/2019 Secondary school league tables ‘punish and reward the wrong schools’ by failing to take pupil background into account, new research suggests.
MSPs urge councils to provide free music lessons 22/01/2019 Local authorities have been urged not to charge for music tuition in schools, in a new report published by MSPs.
Cash-strapped school launches £20,000 crowdfunding campaign 16/01/2019 A Worcestershire school has launched a crowdfunding campaign to raise £20,000 in order to supplement its ‘squeezed’ budget.
Education watchdog calls time on ‘teaching to the test' 16/01/2019 Ofsted says it is moving away from its focus on performance data as the watchdog launches a consultation on proposals for changes to its inspection framework.
Whitehall opens two free schools for SEND children 11/01/2019 Children and families minister Nadhim Zahawi has announced the opening of two new free schools to help pupils with complex social, emotional and mental health needs.
Education union blasts Whitehall for ‘broken’ funding promises 08/01/2019 The UK’s largest education union has criticised the Government for ‘failing to match’ their promises on school funding.
Academy chains perform ‘below average’ for disadvantaged pupils 24/12/2018 Two-thirds of academy chains perform below average for disadvantaged pupils, according to new research.
New mental health teams set to support 500,000 children 20/12/2018 Half a million children and young people are set to benefit from new mental health support teams, secretary of state for health and social care has announced.
Health visitors ‘crucial’ for children’s cognitive development 19/12/2018 Thinking skills should be made a priority to prepare children for school, according to a new report.
Early learning gap widens in 50% of council areas 18/12/2018 The early learning gap between children in poverty and their peers has widened in half of the local authority areas in England, children’s charity reveals.
Teachers warn of ‘Dickensian’ levels of poverty 17/12/2018 Teachers have warned they are seeing increasing levels of 'Dickensian' poverty among children in their classrooms.
Council chiefs call for ‘emergency cash’ to support children with special needs 17/12/2018 The Government has announced it will provide £350m to support children with complex needs and disabilities.
Access to secular schools ‘restricted’, report reveals 10/12/2018 Almost a third of families in England live in areas where most or all of the local primary schools are faith-based, new research has revealed.
Children in care to receive scholarships to independent schools 05/12/2018 The Government yesterday launched a new scheme to help children in care receive mentoring and scholarships from independent schools.
Selective schools given approval to expand 04/12/2018 The first grammar schools to benefit from extra cash from the Government's policy of expanding selective education have been named.
Bucking the national trend 26/11/2018 Mark Whitehead finds out how opportunities for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities in Lincolnshire are about to enjoy a huge boost.
Councils spending £75m more on transporting SEND pupils to school 20/11/2018 County councils spent £323.3m on transporting young people to school last year, figures have revealed.
Many home educated children ‘hidden from sight’ 16/11/2018 It is likely that many children receiving a home education are at risk because they are ‘hidden from sight’, children’s services directors have warned.
Councils face half a billion funding gap for SEND services 15/11/2018 Councils are facing a £536m funding shortfall to provide support for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), new research has found today.
Whitehall announces plans to ‘simplify’ school accountability system 09/11/2018 Floor and coasting standards will no longer be used to trigger an academy conversion but will instead only be used to identify schools that need help.
Government urged to address teacher shortages 31/10/2018 The Government must not lose focus on the need to tackle a national shortage of teachers, experts have warned.
Excluded schoolchildren at risk of violence and criminal exploitation 30/10/2018 Rising numbers of children being excluded from school are at risk of becoming involved in gangs and knife crime, charity leaders and MPs have warned.
Council chiefs warn of ‘threat’ to music lessons 11/10/2018 Local authority leaders have warned that music lessons will be ‘under threat’ unless the Government covers the cost of a pay rise for music teachers.
Workers not prepared for 'rise of the robots' 10/10/2018 People in the North and Midlands are being failed at all levels of education and are ill-prepared for the 'rise of the robots', according to planning experts.
Whitehall announces £24m scheme to ‘boost’ social mobility in North East 08/10/2018 The education secretary will today launch a multi-million pound programme to boost social mobility and raise aspirations for children in the North East.
International education spending: a statistical minefield 05/10/2018 Mark Whitehead investigates the Government's 'seemingly casual' approach to data when it comes to education spending.
Whitehall accused of using ‘distorted information’ on education spending 04/10/2018 Head teachers have attacked the way the Government has used statistics to defend its spending on education as 'shocking and disturbing'.
Schools to suffer ‘real terms cuts’, council chiefs warn 28/09/2018 The latest spending plans show schools will suffer real terms cuts in funding, local government leaders have warned.
Sixth form and further education funding hit hardest by budget cuts 17/09/2018 Funding for 16- to 18-year-olds and general further education has been cut much more sharply than for schools and other parts of the education system, according to a new analysis.

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This issue also contains a special focus on children's services and how councils are protecting children following local safeguarding children boards being abolished.