In a series of written questions in the House of Lords, crossbench peer Baroness Wolf of Dulwich asked ministers how many independent schools there were in England last year and, of these, how many were special education schools. She then asked how many had closed in England in 2024 and 2025, and how many were special education schools. In her third question, Baroness Wolf asked which independent special education schools closed in England in the same years, and where they were located.

Education minister Baroness Smith of Malvern replied, saying: "In 2024 there were 2,458 private schools in England, of which 804 were special schools. During 2024, 58 private schools closed, of which 18 were special schools. Between 1 January and 15 October 2025, 60 private schools have closed, of which six were special schools." Baroness Smith also referred to a table listing the special schools that had closed, and said: "Of these, nine schools closed on or before 4 July 2024, and nine schools closed on or after 5 July 2024." On the government's VAT on fees policy, she added: "Children whose place in a private school has been deemed necessary by a local authority will not be affected by tax changes." Hansard.

An "exam factory" culture in primary schools is resulting in truancy, Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the National Education Union (NEU), has warned. His comments come after a survey by the union found that three-quarters of primary school teachers believe the curriculum review’s decision to broadly retain statutory tests, such as SATs, will worsen pupils’ wellbeing. "This belief was more pronounced for teachers who worked in the poorest areas. Speaking to The Telegraph, Mr Kebede said: "A top-down 'exam factory' culture and a stifling curriculum have, up to now, resulted in high rates of mental ill-health among young people."

High-performing special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) schools need to be supported to act as centres of excellence for autistic pupils, a special inquiry report on the Autism Act 2009 by the House of Lords has said. The inquiry also suggests that mainstream schools need more help and stronger incentives to provide autistic children and young people with the support they require. Published today, the report also says ministers must make improving outcomes for autistic children and young people a key measure of success, and provide regular progress updates. Commenting on the findings, Baroness Rock, chair of the Autism Act 2009 Committee, said: "The government must now use our findings to fulfil its commitment to bring forward the new autism strategy on time in July 2026." By John Roberts, Tes.

Councils are under severe pressure from the rising number of children with SEND, according to a new report commissioned by the Local Government Association (LGA) and shared exclusively with iNews. Nine in 10 special needs practitioners, along with 41 local authorities, reported an increase in children under five requiring extra educational support, while the report also found that children aged four and five are the most likely to be issued an education, health and care plan (EHCP). Almost half of local authorities polled in the report said they expect to exceed their budget for spending on SEND provision for children of this age. Speaking to the paper, Cllr Amanda Hopgood, Chair of the LGA’s Children, Young People and Families Committee, said: "The early years are a critical time in any child’s development. Getting it right in the early years and ensuring a seamless transition to reception can improve outcomes for children and families." By Felix Armstrong.

Pupils are arriving at primary school incapable of speaking properly but able to swipe screens on devices, while older pupils are self-diagnosing ADHD because of exposure to online content, research by the Pears Commission into Countering Online Conspiracies in Schools has found. Headteachers said primary schools should be given help tackling conspiracy theories because children and their parents have been getting nearly all their news from social media. Teachers in focus groups also told group that the online world was the dominant influence on the wellbeing, behaviour, beliefs and identities of pupils. By Nicola Woolcock, The Times. 

Former schools minister Sir Nick Gibb has said smartphones are "asbestos" for children, and ministers should ensure that all schools are "phone-free". In a speech at the Schools and Academies Show in Birmingham on Thursday, Sir Nick, who was a Conservative schools minister for a decade, added that it should be government policy to support headteachers when they face challenges to plans to ban phones in schools. "Smartphones are absolutely asbestos as far as children are concerned. We should have a policy of phone-free schools... whether it’s pouches or locked away in a locker or just don’t allow them into schools at all. We have got to do that", he warned. By Cerys Turner, Tes. 

Screens in schools are doing "lifelong" damage to young people, Sophie Winkleman has told The Telegraph. The actress and campaigner, who is the daughter-in-law of Prince and Princess Michael of Kent, said there was a "commonly held fallacy" that screen-based learning was "progressive and futuristic in some way", but pointed to now "rock-solid clinical research showing that children do not learn well on screens". Ms Winkleman's comments, which she hopes will urge ministers to be "very careful" about promoting screens in schools, come as campaign group SafeScreens warned that the widespread use of screens in classrooms had become a "distraction" from learning. By Camilla Turner.

Caroline Santer, head of The King's School in Hampshire, highlights the financial pressures facing independent schools following the introduction of Labour's VAT on fees policy. In an interview with iNews, Ms Santer explains that she began preparing parents for the rising costs when ministers announced their plans. Describing the effect it has had, she says: "The VAT is very much a stress for our parents. A lot of them are taking out loans, or have approached their families to get inheritance early to be able to pay the fees." The concerns led Ms Santer and a group of other heads to bring a legal challenge in the High Court against the tax policy. The independent Christian schools have now won the right to challenge ministers in the Court of Appeal, arguing that the tax threatens parental choice and the ability to provide faith-based education. Speaking to the paper, Ms Santer emphasises that her school provides small class sizes, a strong spiritual ethos, and a calmer environment that helps children with additional needs, easing pressure on the local state sector. She hopes the Court of Appeal challenge may lead to redress, warning that the VAT policy is “essentially devastating for thousands of children". Reference is made to figures from the ISC and a number of schools in membership of the ISC's constituent associations are mentioned in the article. By Kasia Delgado.

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