Parents must do more to prevent their children from becoming radicalised, assistant commissioner Laurence Taylor has said. Addressing MPs and peers at the launch of a new all-party parliamentary group on counterextremism last week, Britain’s most senior counterterrorism officer said the UK was on course to reach 10,000 referrals to the Prevent programme, which is the highest on record for a single year. Warning that the Online Saety Act did not go far enough in requiring social media firms to remove dangerous content, Mr Taylor also called for "stronger regulatory pressures on platforms and increased support for users who may be exposed to extreme materials". By Matt Dathan, The Times.

Writing in Schools Week, Catherine Buckler, edtech lead and head of geography at Sydenham High School GDST, notes that big tech companies are increasingly shaping how educators approach artificial intelligence (AI) in schools. Encouraging colleagues to make decisions that truly benefit learners, she says: "AI will play a role in education’s future, but that future should not be written solely by the companies that stand to profit from it."

In a written question in the House of Commons, Liberal Democrat spokesperson Charlie Maynard asked the education secretary what measures are being taken to help independent special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) schools remain open, following a number of independent school closures over the past year. Responding, schools minister Georgia Gould said: "Independent special schools are private enterprises. Local authorities have the discretion to make support, training and resources available to them. As private enterprises, the proprietor of the school is responsible for its financial viability." Ministers see independent special schools as key to supporting complex SEND needs, she added, before noting: "Where a pupil’s place in a private school is funded by the local authority because the private school is named in the pupil’s education, health and care plan, the local authority is able to reclaim the VAT they are charged on the fees of these pupils via the Section 33 VAT Act 1994 Refund Scheme." Hansard.

Councils across England have held millions of pounds of unspent funding meant for pre‑schoolers with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), according to Freedom of Information requests to local authorities in England. Over the past decade, at least 24 councils were found to have underspent on their SEND budgets for pre-schools and nurseries, or diverted it elsewhere. Catherine O’Riordan, an early years SEND co-ordinator at a nursery in Surrey, told The Times she was shocked to hear that the council had underspent its early years budget. "I’m angry. We currently have children in dire need," she said. Caroline Voaden, schools spokeswoman for the Liberal Democrats, described the findings as "absolutely shocking". By George Willoughby and Georgia Lambert.

The Telegraph explores the increasing cost of SEND provision, and notes that spending on it, which is funded by councils, has risen from £8 billion in 2015-16 to more than £13 billion in 2024-25, driven by a surge in pupils with education, health and care plans (EHCPs). The paper talks to a number of experts on the rising costs, including Stuart Hoddinott from the Institute for Government who warns that local authorities are "already incurring costs that are spread over decades". By Szu Ping Chan.

In an interview with The Sunday Times, Antonia Berry, rector of The High School of Glasgow, says children have suffered as a result of Labour’s VAT on fees policy, which she describes as being introduced "out of resentment and anger". Ms Berry, whose school has just been named Scottish Independent Secondary School of the Year in the paper's Parent Power tables, criticises the policy for disrupting pupils' education. "You had children who had to leave in the middle of the school year at some schools and they didn’t get a choice where they went because there weren’t places available," she says. A number of schools in membership of the ISC's constituent associations are mentioned. By Sue Leonard. 

Speaking to The Sunday Times, the unnamed parents of two children at independent schools in Essex explain that rising fees and the introduction of VAT on school fees are pushing their family to the financial limit. Having chosen an independent education because of smaller classes, individual support and reliable wraparound care, the couple say they now spend almost all their income on schooling. "The impact of VAT on already rising school fees is pushing ordinary, hard-working families like ours to the edge. And we know we’re far from the only ones feeling it," they warn. By Liz Rowlinson.

Independent schools in the UK will face tighter anti-corruption checks on donations under government plans aimed at preventing the laundering of criminal funds, with schools required to carry out risk assessments and enhanced checks on high-value or unusual contributions. The measures form part of a broader anti-corruption strategy also targeting universities and other institutions. By Max Kendix, The Times.

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