Children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) are in the majority in some schools due to the "colossal" overdiagnosis of conditions such as ADHD, dyspraxia and dyslexia, Richard Tice, Reform UK’s deputy leader, has claimed. In an article for The Telegraph, Mr Tice said: "The system is out of control: numbers with education, health and care plans (EHCPs) have almost trebled in 10 years, rising almost 10 per cent per year. But our children are not 10 per cent more in need every year." By Charles Hymas. 

Beverley Alderson, an experienced primary school teacher from Devon, tells iNews that rising numbers of pupils with more complex SEND needs, combined with shrinking school budgets and staff redundancies, are creating a "perfect storm" making mainstream teaching increasingly unmanageable. Ms Alderson's concerns come as parents and staff await long-delayed government reforms, with a white paper on SEND changes having been delayed until January 2026. By Connie Dimsdale.

A single mother who adopted a young boy with severe learning difficulties and non-verbal autism says vital support has "vanished", with 28 schools rejecting him as full or unable to meet his needs, leaving the family at breaking point. Sharing her experience with iNews after a County Councils Network report last week warned that the SEND system is "heading towards total collapse", Angie Matthias said: "As soon as you’ve adopted, and you’ve got that adoption order to say parental rights are with you, you’re on your own." Speaking to the paper, an adoptive parent who wished to remain anonymous described a similar crisis, adding: "A lot of families I know who are in the same situation as us are really at the tipping point of what they can manage." By Connie Dimsdale. 

Lindsey Hughes, headmistress of Channing School and president of the Girls’ Schools Association (GSA), will today say that schools should create cultures that empower female teachers and students to strive for leadership roles. Addressing delegates at the GSA's annual conference, Ms Hughes will add: "Our schools exist to provide the antidote in creating an equitable world; they are the agents of change…we are here to ensure that both our students and staff have the space, the training and the confidence to be 10 per cent braver." Independent School Management Plus.

The National Literacy Trust (NLT) is calling for a broader definition of reading, arguing that digital forms should be valued alongside traditional books. Published today, its paper, The Future of Literacy: Multimodal Reading, draws on the trust’s 2025 annual literacy survey, which gathered responses from more than 110,000 children and young people aged 5 to 18 across the UK. The research shows reading habits are diversifying: 32 per cent of young people read for enjoyment, while 42 per cent prefer audiobooks, often accessing fiction online rather than in shops or libraries. The NLT calls for a redefinition of what it means to be literate in the 21st century, including the development of skills such as being able to spot fake news and detect bias. By Emily Prescott, The Sunday Times. 

Ofqual has published official guidance for a British Sign Language (BSL) GCSE, welcomed by deaf charities as a milestone for raising the profile of BSL and supporting deaf students. However, AQA, the UK's biggest exam board, has confirmed it will not offer the qualification, while OCR, Pearson and WJEC are still deciding whether to develop a course. If an exam board creates a BSL GCSE, it would then need Ofqual accreditation before being introduced in schools. By Lydia Chantler-Hicks, Schools Week.

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