Democracy under threat: Elections Bill’s risk to people with additional needs
Dr Mark Brookes discusses why measures to introduce voter ID could affect voter participation for those with learning disabilities.
Unravelling the knot of education, health and care plans
29/07/2021 Leo Jones lays out the deeper challenges that need to be recognised and addressed if the SEND review is going to tackle the complex problems behind rising numbers of education, health and care plans. |
Five areas to pilot ways to improve access to education for Traveller pupils
23/07/2021 Five areas have been chosen to pilot education programmes to support Gypsy, Roma and Traveller pupils. |
Javid launches £75m autism strategy
21/07/2021 The Government today launched a new multi-million pound strategy to help improve the lives of people with autism. |
Council leader warns self-isolating pupils risk being ‘left behind’
05/07/2021 The leader of Oldham Council has called on the Government to urgently review the approach to self-isolation to address the increasing number of children missing vital time in school. |
Nearly 100,000 pupils 'severely absent' from school
28/06/2021 Nearly 100,000 pupils did not return to school full-time when they opened after the first wave of restrictions, a new report has revealed. |
Scottish council told to improve housing and education services
24/06/2021 Aberdeen City Council has been warned to improve its housing and education services by the public spending watchdog. |
White working-class pupils have been 'neglected' for decades, say MPs
22/06/2021 White working-class pupils have been 'let down and neglected' by the education system for decades, MPs have warned today. |
Councils highlight role of libraries in national recovery from COVID-19
21/06/2021 Councils are warning investment in libraries is crucial to help children catch up on lost learning and support local communities post-pandemic. |
Ministers 'knew early years was underfunded' argues charity
15/06/2021 The Government has been accused of knowingly under-funding local authorities on 'free childcare' places by the Early Years Alliance. |
Pandemic hits disadvantaged pupils hardest, study reveals
07/06/2021 Disadvantaged pupils have experienced ‘greater learning losses’ than their more affluent peers, new research has found. |
Education recovery tsar resigns over lack of funding
03/06/2021 Sir Kevan Collins has resigned as the Government’s education recovery commissioner after warning the support announced ‘falls far short of what is needed’. |
Government publishes next phase of school catch-up plan
02/06/2021 The Government has pledged to provide up to 100 million hours of free tuition for children and young people across England. |
Pandemic has increased attendance inequalities in schools, study finds
25/05/2021 Disadvantaged pupils are the least likely to return to school after lockdown, a new study has revealed. |
Schools to lose £118m for poorer pupils, council chiefs warn
21/05/2021 Funding changes this year could see schools in England lose £118m for disadvantaged pupils, council leaders have warned today. |
County to review its SEN services following ombudsman investigation
20/05/2021 Hampshire County Council has agreed to reviews its SEN services following an investigation by the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman. |
A further 57 high streets chosen for £830m funding boost
19/05/2021 The Prime Minister has announced 57 high streets in England will share over £830m to help them reopen and recover from the pandemic. |
Innovating for a fairer start
17/05/2021 Nesta’s Tom Symons outlines how they are partnering with three councils for trial discovery projects to improve school readiness levels. |
Council chiefs call for review of SEND system to be completed ‘urgently’
14/05/2021 Council leaders have called on Government to ‘urgently complete’ its review of the SEND system and to ensure councils have funding to support SEND children. |
One in three head teachers warn funding for poorer pupils is plugging budget gaps
29/04/2021 A third of head teachers are using funding meant to support disadvantaged pupils to plug general budget gaps, a new survey has revealed. |
Summer schools programme opens for bids
27/04/2021 Schools are being encouraged to bid for a share of £200m to offer summer schools to help children recover lost learning. |
Summer school guidance published
31/03/2021 New guidance for secondary schools to help progress plans for summer schools once they return from the Easter break has been published. |
Councils call for long-term plan to tackle education inequalities
25/03/2021 Education inequalities that have been exacerbated by the pandemic are unlikely to be solved by a quick “catch-up” initiative, council leaders have warned today. |
Seven million children return to school
17/03/2021 Over seven million children were back in schools and colleges last week as part of the first step in the Government’s roadmap out of lockdown. |
Why economic growth models must underpin effective HE collaboration
09/03/2021 Jonathan Guest explores how economic development professionals can work effectively with Higher Education Institutions to drive growth. |
Multi-million funding boost to increase mental health support in schools
05/03/2021 Nearly three million children in England will have access to mental health teams in their schools, following the allocation of £79m funding. |
Johnson announces £700m education recovery funding
24/02/2021 A £700m education recovery package to help students catch up on missed learning has been announced by the Prime Minister. |
Councils call for ‘further clarity’ on easing lockdown
23/02/2021 Councils ‘will do all they can’ to support the Prime Minister’s roadmap out of the national lockdown, but the Government must provide more funding and clarity, local government leaders say. |
Catch-up support funding for pupils is 'insufficient'
18/02/2021 The catch-up plans for pupils across the UK are 'insufficient' and unlikely to address the scale of learning loss following the pandemic, a report has warned today. |
Cornwall to improve oversight of outsourced alternative education provision
18/02/2021 Cornwall Council will conduct an audit of all children unable to attend school to ensure they are receiving suitable education following an investigation by the ombudsman. |
Extended funding for projects for children with SEND
12/02/2021 The Government has extended funding for projects to support children with special educational needs and disabilities. |
Framing our approach to children with challenging behaviour
09/02/2021 Professor Sandy Toogood explains how an approach called Positive Behavioural Support (PBS) can help children who present with challenging behaviour or behaviour of concern. |
Cheshire leaders put concerns to Government on jabs, lockdown and schools
13/01/2021 Council leaders in Cheshire and their partners have written to the Government laying out their concerns about the vaccination rollout, the current lockdown arrangements and schools. |
County may be forced to limit school places during lockdown
07/01/2021 Norfolk County Council has warned it may be forced to prioritise who is given a school place during the new lockdown because of high demand. |
Union calls for nurseries to be closed during lockdown
06/01/2021 Pre-schools including nurseries must be closed except to educate the children of key workers and those who are vulnerable, union says. |
Councils resist pressure to reopen schools
04/01/2021 Scores of councils have raised concerns over the return of primary school pupils to classrooms amid soaring COVID-19 infection rates. |
Two-thirds of COVID-19 school costs not met by Government
22/12/2020 Council chiefs have called on the Government to ensure schools are able to pay the costs of the pandemic as report says current funding levels fall short. |
SEND education requires ‘radical shake-up’, council chiefs say
03/12/2020 The high needs system for further education is ‘not working and requires a radical shake-up’, council and college leaders say. |
Home education increases by nearly 40% due to pandemic
24/11/2020 This year has seen a dramatic increase in the number of children being electively home educated (EHE) due to the impact of COVID-19. |
Councils warn a million young people could be missing full-time education
17/11/2020 ’Significant gaps’ in legislation means more than a million young people in England could be missing formal full-time education, council leaders have warned. |
Sheffield Council to compensate family after 'catalogue of errors' in education provision
05/11/2020 Sheffield Council has been asked to pay £20,000 in compensation after it failed to provide a suitable education for a boy with special educational needs. |
Supporting our young people in the path to economic recovery
03/11/2020 Clare Hatton explains how the West Midlands Combined Authority has made it a priority to support all young people, but especially those not in education, employment or training (NEET). |
Khan calls for further devolution of adult education funding
28/10/2020 The mayor of London has urged the Government to devolve adult education funding to the capital or risk undermining its long-term recovery from the pandemic. |
Black working-class pupils criminalised by ‘two-tier education system’
29/09/2020 Black working-class young people in England are being unfairly excluded and criminalised by a ‘two-tier education system’, a new report says. |
PM pledges to transform skills and training system
29/09/2020 The Prime Minister has outlined plans to transform the training and skills system to help the country recover from the coronavirus pandemic. |
Starmer vows to tackle the 'decade of drift' on sorting social care
22/09/2020 Government failure to protect care homes during the pandemic is a ‘national scandal’, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer told his party’s virtual conference today. |
A personalised approach holds the key to unlocking our SEND challenge
28/08/2020 Prof. Sandy Toogood argues there is huge opportunity to reframe SEND provision and focus on the importance of a personalised approach. |
Progress on closing the learning gap has stalled, report warns
26/08/2020 The attainment gap between disadvantaged pupils and their peers in primary schools has increased for the first time since 2017, new figures have shown. |
Government announces £9m ‘catch up’ funding for early years pupils
24/08/2020 Schools urged to sign up to ‘catch up’ programme aimed at raising speaking and language outcomes among pupils whose education has been disrupted by Covid-19. |
‘Levelling up’ school funding benefits wealthier student
07/08/2020 The government’s policy of ‘levelling’ up school funding will benefit wealthier pupils the most, according to the Education Policy Institute (EPI). |
Early years’ workers ‘overworked and undervalued’, study reveals
05/08/2020 Low pay, a high workload and a lack of career development for early years’ workers risk impacting on the provision of care and education services for the under-fives, report says. |
Thousands of new school spaces for SEND children
20/07/2020 New special free schools will provide over 3,000 extra places for pupils with the most complex needs. |
Local areas to get extra support to strengthen SEND services
10/07/2020 Ofsted and Care Quality Commission (CQC) will visit local areas to help them improve their SEND services following the disruption caused by COVID-19. |
County increases scrutiny of its special educational needs services
02/07/2020 Norfolk County Council has agreed to regular scrutiny of its services for children with special educational needs after the ombudsman found it 'failed' the same boy twice. |
Nurseries in most deprived areas most risk from closure, report reveals
02/07/2020 A third of nurseries in the most disadvantaged areas may be forced to close down permanently due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, a new report has warned. |
Teachers call for summer holiday offer to support children
19/06/2020 Teachers have urged the Government to fund councils to help them provide summer activities for children in preparation for a return to school in September. |
Paediatricians urge PM to make school reopenings ‘a priority’
18/06/2020 Over 1,500 paediatricians have signed an open letter to the Prime Minister urging him to make the reopening of schools a priority. |
‘Generation of children’ losing out due to lack of lockdown education
16/06/2020 Children who are locked down at home spend an average of 2.5 hours a day doing school work, a new study has revealed. |
Schools using 'professional judgement' on reopening, union finds
04/06/2020 Just over a third of schools (35%) opened on the terms expected by the prime minister on 1 June, a union has found. |
More councils join call to delay schools reopening
20/05/2020 The Government is under increasing pressure to rethink its plans to open schools on 1 June after more councils highlighted safety concerns. |
Councils decide against re-opening schools
19/05/2020 Hundreds of schools will not re-open next week as councils express concern over the safety of pupils and teachers. |
Think tank warns of growing educational gap during lockdown
18/05/2020 Children from better-off families are spending more time on educational activities than those from the poorest households, a think tank has found. |
MPs tell department to 'get a grip' on SEND
05/05/2020 The Department for Education (DfE) does not have a grip on mounting pressure in the special educational needs and disability (SEND) system, a watchdog has found. |
Councils call for more clarity on special needs duties during pandemic
28/04/2020 Councils have warned they are struggling to deliver statutory support for children with special educational needs and disabilities due to dealing with the demands of coronavirus. |
Vulnerable children falling behind at school, report warns
27/04/2020 Children who need a social worker are 'significantly' behind other children at school, new research has revealed. |
Councils warn adult education services need grant funding
24/04/2020 Councils have warned that emergency grant funding is needed to protect adult education services. |
Laptops to be made available for disadvantaged children
20/04/2020 Disadvantaged children across England are to receive laptops and tablets to ensure they can continue their education from home during lockdown. |
Counties warn about service closures during coronavirus
30/03/2020 Councils are being forced to close or reduce more services in order to divert resources to fighting the coronavirus pandemic. |
Government issues guidance on isolation for residential educational settings
23/03/2020 Social workers who need to investigate child protection concerns should be admitted to the home while taking infection control measures, according to guidance. |
Schools shut down to stop spread of Covid-19
19/03/2020 All schools, colleges and early years settings will be closed as of next week as part of the effort to contain the Coronavirus pandemic. |
Schools exclude pupils to ‘game’ league table, report reveals
16/03/2020 A new study has uncovered an ‘alarming’ trend of schools excluding pupils to boost their league table standings and warned of a flawed system of incentives in the education sector. |
Disadvantaged children less likely to benefit from free childcare, auditors warn
13/03/2020 Disadvantaged families are less likely to take up free early education and childcare places, auditors have warned today. |
Budget 2020: £1.5bn boost to improve FE college estate
11/03/2020 The chancellor has unveiled plans to invest £1.5bn over five years to improve the condition of the further education college estate. |
Councils and teachers call for over £5bn of extra school funding
05/03/2020 Local authorities, parents and teachers have joined forces to call on the Government to increase school funding by £5.5bn. |
Care leaders must promote ‘awareness’ of good practice in sexual safety
27/02/2020 Care leaders should promote a culture that keeps people in social care safe from sexual abuse and supports them in expressing their sexuality, regulator says. |
Council advises pupils to ‘self-isolate’ following Coronavirus fears
26/02/2020 Cheshire East Council has told pupils who have been to Italy where Coronavirus cases have been identified to ‘self-isolate’ as a precautionary measure. |
Funding per pupil to ‘increase’, PM says
30/01/2020 Councils will be required by law to make sure every school receives the full amount of the minimum levels of funding pledged for each pupil, PM announces. |
Medway caves after Ombudsman rap
16/01/2020 Medway Council has finally accepted the recommendations in a Local Government Ombudsman public interest report after a two-year stand-off. |
Council chiefs call for devolution of skills funding
16/01/2020 Six million people in England risk being without a job or in work they are over-qualified for by 2030, council chiefs have warned. |
Plans for ‘universal’ school inspections launched
10/01/2020 Ofsted will visit all schools judged to be outstanding within the next five academic years, the Government has announced. |
‘Stuck’ schools need more tailored support, inspectors say
08/01/2020 Hundreds of schools in England are ‘stuck’ in a cycle of low performance and need more tailored support to improve, a new Ofsted report has found. |
New hubs to support struggling schools
07/01/2020 Struggling schools are set to receive extra support from some of the country’s top schools. |
Whitehall promises £85m ‘culture boost’ after decade of school cuts
03/01/2020 The Government has committed to investing millions of pounds into film, dance, theatre and design lessons and facilities for secondary school children. |
Council invests in 50 robots to aid distance learning
23/12/2019 Children in Somerset who miss school due to illness will soon be able to continue their lessons thanks to the use of robots. |
Council leases library to Holocaust education project
23/12/2019 Cumbria County Council has agreed to provide a Holocaust education project with a long lease to a library building in memory of the Windermere Children. |
Government announces £14bn funding boost for schools
20/12/2019 The Government has announced that every school is set to receive £5,000 per pupil in funding for secondary schools next year after a decade of austerity. |
Nearly one third of maintained schools ‘in the red’
19/12/2019 A think tank has warned that the Government’s plans to ‘level up’ school funding will not close the gap between struggling schools and those in the black. |
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. |
This issue of Public Property examines how how flexible workspaces can lead the way in regeneration for local authorities, Why local authority intervention is key to successful urban regeneration schemes and if the Government’s challenge of embracing beauty is an opportunity for communities.
The March issue also takes a closer look at Blackburn with Darwen Council's first digital health hub to help people gain control over health and care services.
