More than 100 schools in England with reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) will need to have blocks rebuilt or refurbished, the government has announced. The Telegraph article includes a table naming the schools affected by RAAC, a form of crumbling concrete, and states that more than 150,000 pupils attend schools impacted by the crisis. By Louisa Clarence-Smith and Ben Butcher. 

School leaders have warned that uncertainty over when crumbling buildings will be rebuilt will impact teacher recruitment in those in schools affected by RAAC. At St Leonard’s in Durham, one of the worse-affected schools, a report from the University of Durham found there has been a noticeable increase in staff absence. By Jasmine Norden, Tes.

Tes reports that the DfE has today published guidance for schools outlining how they can deliver new or expanded wraparound childcare for primary-aged children. Ministers have confirmed that schools with RAAC will not be expected to provide wraparound care on the basis that they do not have space that can be adapted or have building work ongoing. By Cerys Turner.

More than 50 per cent of children placed in special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) schools could have been better off in a mainstream school with the right support, according to interim findings from the government’s Delivering Better Value (DBV) in SEND programme. The report warns that if current trends continue, the difference in costs between state and independent special school placements will increase by £30,000 per child by 2028. By John Roberts and Mary-Louise Clews, Tes. 

Esther Ghey, the mother of murdered teenager Brianna Ghey, has called for tougher safeguards that could see parents receiving alerts if their children try to access harmful websites. Plans being considered by the government would aim to stop young people from viewing damaging content by alerting their parents to any troubling online activity, enabling them to intervene. By Amy Gibbons and Harry Torrance, The Telegraph.

Young people are being sexually groomed by predators using a “growing epidemic of underage vaping”, a charity has said. Police are concerned that groomers are using vapes, “objects which youngsters want but struggle to afford to access, to incite criminal behaviour or sexual activity”. By Ben Ellery and Debbie White, The Times. 

Tens of thousands of children needed surgery to have rotten teeth removed last year, official figures suggest, amid a political debate about the need for toothbrushing lessons in schools. Eddie Crouch, chair of the British Dental Association, has called for urgent action to address the “epidemic of decay”, including further sugar taxes. By Eleanor Hayward, The Times. 

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