A 15-year-old boy who murdered teenager Harvey Willgoose with a hunting knife at a Sheffield school has been sentenced to life with a minimum term of 16 years. Throughout the trial, Mohammed Umar Khan could not be identified since he is under the age of 18, but the judge in the case, Mrs Justice Ellenbogen, lifted an order banning his identification following applications from a number of media organisations. She said the murder had had a "devastating effect" on the victim's family. Sky News. 

Fearless, the dedicated youth service from independent charity Crimestoppers, lays out key facts about knife crime and offers young people a platform to anonymously report crime. 

Government reforms to the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system and other policy proposals for schools in England are to be delayed until next year. In a letter to Helen Hayes, chair of the Commons Education Select Committee, education secretary Bridget Phillipson said: "We will bring forward a full Schools White Paper early in the new year, underpinned by our belief that high standards and inclusion are two sides of the same coin." Ms Phillipson added that there would be "a further period of co-creation, testing our proposals with the people who matter most in this reform". Experts have criticised the move, with the County Councils Network deeming it "massively disappointing". Liberal Democrat schools spokeswoman Caroline Voaden said the delay was "an absolute betrayal of every child with special educational needs and disabilities and their families". By Hazel Shearing, with additional reporting by Alex Forsyth. BBC News. 

A new level of statutory learning support for children should be created in mainstream schools, according to the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) Inclusion Taskforce’s final recommendations. The report, which calls for major SEND reforms, also says league tables that focus on how well schools support young people with additional needs should be introduced. In addition, the IPPR wants school admissions policies to be monitored so pupils have fair access to education. By John Roberts, Tes. 

The principles set out in the IPPR's report, which includes "specialist plans" to replace education, health and care plans (EHCPs), are summarised in Schools Week, by Samantha Booth. Writing in the paper, Geoff Barton, chair of the IPPR inclusion taskforce, says the government's SEND reforms present a unique opportunity to shape the future of education. Outlining where best to begin, Mr Barton says: "We must do better than have this emotionally-exhausting and labyrinthine system for supporting the majority of children with SEND."

In a letter to The Telegraph, Mark Steed, former principal of Berkhamsted Schools Group, suggests the move towards online and home learning "is not only a response to rising costs of independent education caused by the imposition of VAT on fees". Mr Steed describes how online schools can provide tailored education for children for whom traditional teaching methods may not be effective. He adds: "As teacher shortages increase and remote teaching pedagogy develops, we are likely to see more schools adopting flexible working patterns, which will incorporate elements of remote teaching and online learning." The letter appears below halfway. 

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