The organisers of the Booker Prize have launched a new award for children's fiction, featuring a panel of child and adult judges. Launching next year, the Children's Booker Prize will be awarded annually from 2027 to celebrate the best contemporary fiction for children between the ages of eight and 12. Frank Cottrell-Boyce, the UK Children’s Laureate, will serve as the inaugural chair of judges for 2027. Mr Cottrell-Boyce, author of the much-loved novel Millions, will be joined by two other adult judges to select a shortlist of eight books, after which three child judges will join the panel to help choose the overall winner. By Emma Saunders, BBC News. 

Around eight in 10 teachers say they have had to reconsider how they set assignments because of artificial intelligence (AI). A new survey by the British Council questioned 1,000 UK secondary teachers on how the rise of AI and digital culture is affecting learning, with responses showing teachers have concerns about how the technology is impacting pupils’ communication and writing quality. Overall, 79 per cent of teachers said they have had to rethink the manner in which they set assignments due to AI. Amy Lightfoot, academic director for English and school education at the British Council, said the findings reflect "a seismic shift in teaching practice in a very short space of time". By Kyle Tormey, Tes. 

The Conservative Party has accused the University of Oxford of "social engineering" because black applicants who fail to meet the required A-level grades are more likely to be accepted than white candidates. Over the last five years, 16 per cent of black UK undergraduates who went to Oxford had not achieved the grades specified when they were offered a place, according to Freedom of Information figures obtained by The Telegraph. That is more than twice as high as the figure for white UK applicants, which is six per cent. Only two per cent of Chinese applicants who live in Britain were accepted after falling short in their exams. A spokesman for the university said it is "unequivocal that the care and rigour we put into our selection process means we are confident that all students at Oxford fully deserve their places here". By Sam Ashworth-Hayes.

iNews has partnered with the Centre for Young Lives, an independent think tank founded by former children’s commissioner Baroness Anne Longfield, to examine the government's potential changes to the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system. The possible reforms include restricting education, health and care plans (EHCPs) to special schools, scrapping them entirely, and tightening the criteria for SEND diagnosis. By Connie Dimsdale.

BBC News speaks to Nicky, a mother from Dartford who says her 10-year-old son was unfairly denied extra time in his 11+ exam. Joshua, who has autism and ADHD, did not pass the test, and Nicky, who is a Senco, believes he would have succeeded if Kent County Council had granted the 25 per cent additional time recommended by his school. Voicing her frustration, she said: "They can have [extra time] in GCSEs, they can have it in A Levels, they can have it in their degree. However, why can't they have it in the 11+?" By Charlie Rose.

The National Education Union (NEU) and the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) will officially back the National Association of Head Teachers’ (NAHT) legal action against Ofsted over its new inspection framework, it has been announced. The two unions have confirmed they will provide witness statements for the judicial review and will support the NAHT's case going forward. By Ruth Lucas, Schools Week.

Severe absence rates went up from 2.14 per cent in autumn and spring 2023-24 to 2.26 per cent in autumn and spring 2024-25, Department for Education (DfE) data has revealed. Published today, the figures show increases across all regions but higher increases for children with SEND and those eligible for free school meals (FSM). FSM-eligible pupils saw an increase in severe absence from 3.93 per cent to 3.98 per cent, while pupils with an EHCP had a severe absence rate of 7.3 per cent last year, up from 6.55 per cent the year before. Ministers have said their upcoming schools white paper, which has been delayed until the new year, will further tackle the attendance issue. By Ruth Lucas, Schools Week.

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