In a written question in the House of Commons, Conservative MP and Opposition Whip, Mike Wood, asked the education secretary what steps she is taking to prevent discrimination against children from independent schools in the provision of public services. Responding, shadow education secretary Olivia Bailey said: "Access to public services is based on need, not the type of school a child attends. Parents or carers concerned about their child’s health can consult a GP, who may refer them to relevant National Health Services (NHS). The NHS provides care free at the point of use and considers referrals based on clinical need, ensuring equity regardless of school type." Hansard.

BBC News explores the cost of special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) provision, with a particular focus on Oxfordshire County Council, which is planning to support more children with SEND in mainstream schools in a bid to reduce spiralling costs. The local authority is set to expand its enhanced pathways provision into 40 state schools, providing a dedicated space and additional resources to support more young people with special needs in a mainstream setting. Commenting on the move, councillor Sean Gaul, Oxfordshire County Council's cabinet member for children's services, says reducing the council's reliance on independent special schools, and the "enormous" costs involved, will allow more funding to go into mainstream schools. By Victoria Walton.

A "disproportionate growth" in children with little or no language and social communication skills has been reported by early-years providers in research from the Local Government Association. Practitioners said the biggest change has been in communication and interaction support, with some reporting more children who have no speech at all. National data shows that while motor, problem-solving and social milestones remain steady, the proportion of children reaching speech and language targets has dropped from 90 per cent in 2018-19 to 86.6 per cent in 2023-24. By Georgia Lambert, The Times. 

A "generational shift" in children reading for pleasure appears to be taking place, Helen Hayes, chair of the Commons Education Select Committee, has warned. The comments come as MPs launch an inquiry into the decline. The committee will question experts on the relationship between children reading for pleasure and their mental health, in addition to their screen time. Ms Hayes said the committee, which has launched a call for evidence closing on 9 January, "wants to understand the forces at play and what the consequences could be for children’s lives - crucially, we will look across the academic space, and at good practice in schools and communities, for solutions". Tes. 

A significant proportion of businesses are deterred from offering work experience placements to schoolchildren due to time constraints and staffing challenges, according to research conducted by The Careers & Enterprise Company (CEC). Some 41 per cent of companies that do not provide such opportunities cited the process as too time-consuming, while 33 per cent of senior business leaders not offering placements also reported a lack of staff capacity to supervise young people. Of those businesses surveyed, 75 per cent also said making it easier to work with schools would make them more likely to offer work experience. The CEC is calling for work experience placements to start early and allow students to access different industries. By Jasmine Norden, The Independent. 

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