Fines for parents who take their children out of school for term-time holidays have increased by a quarter since the pandemic, Department for Education (DfE) figures suggest. According to the data, 356,181 penalty notices were issued for unauthorised family holiday absence in the past academic year, the highest number on record and up 24 per cent since 2019. By Louisa Clarence-Smith, The Telegraph. 

In a survey of 1,890 school leaders in England, 38 per cent said they had accessed professional support for their mental health or wellbeing in the past year, while a further 11 per cent said they wished to access professional support but either did not know how to or it was unavailable to them. Tes.

Eight out of 10 individuals in the UK caught with images of children being sexually abused avoid going to jail, the National Crime Agency (NCA) has revealed. Calling for tougher sentences of imprisonment in a media briefing, NCA director general Graeme Biggar said it was “striking” that so many people convicted of having child abuse images were judged by the courts not to merit an immediate prison sentence. By Vikram Dodd, The Guardian. 

Cases of pupil cheating in exams increased by nearly a fifth this year and are now 66 per cent higher than before the pandemic, according to new Ofqual data. There were 4,895 cases of malpractice involving students this summer that resulted in penalties being applied, up from 4,105 in 2022 and 2,950 in 2019. By Amy Walker, Schools Week. 

The number of parents launching tribunal appeals over local authority refusals to provide special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) support for their child has increased by almost a quarter in a year to another record high. In addition, 98.3 per cent of parents won appeals that made it to a hearing – the highest since records started in 2011-12. By Amy Walker, Schools Week. 

Schools Week explores the pressure on places at SEND schools and reports that "an explosion in pupils with additional needs [has] outstripped capacity in the state sector". By Samantha Booth.

Tes looks at why more teachers are leaving the profession in England than ever before and whether the trend can be reversed. By Matilda Martin.

The Daily News Summary will be taking a break over the festive period, with today's DNS (15 December) being the last of 2023. Normal service will resume on Monday 8 January, 2024. From everyone at the Independent Schools Council (ISC), we would like to thank our school leaders, teachers and support staff for your valuable work and commitment throughout the year. We wish you all a very merry Christmas and happy new year.

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