There is a need for more teacher-focused tools and training to help staff identify pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), a new report published by the Department for Education (DfE) has said. In research documents published yesterday, ministers laid out the findings of their research into identifying, supporting and collaborating for children and young people with SEND. The report explains that while formal diagnosis remains the responsibility of specialists, by playing a central role in the early recognition of educational needs, high-quality teaching can help reduce reliance on individual interventions. By John Roberts, Tes. 

Writing in Tes, Justin Watts, head of modern foreign languages at Highgate School, explores the declining popularity of A-level Mandarin among students without a Chinese background. While GCSE entries are slowly but gradually rising, Mr Watts notes that A-level enrolments have more than halved, from 3,425 in 2012 to 1,643 this year, and the current exam specification is a further challenge. Calling for action, he writes: "Unless reforms bring Mandarin in line with other demanding languages where grade boundaries and assessments are sensibly adjusted for non-native learners, we risk dismantling years of progress."

Almost two thirds of school and college leaders fear the new Ofsted school inspections will be worse for their wellbeing than the old framework, a poll of 1,080 members of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) has revealed. Describing the finding as "deeply worrying", Pepe Di’Iasio, the union's general secretary, warned that the new inspection system will deter people from becoming teachers and school leaders. "We’re faced with a continuation of the bad old days dressed up in a new set of adjectives," he said. Tes.

Ministers are proposing to increase Ofsted inspection fees for independent schools and to send the funding to the schools watchdog, a Department for Education (DfE) consultation has shown. Published yesterday, the consultation reveals that independent schools would see the subsidy for inspections cut over five years from 2026. According to the DfE, around half of the 2,311 registered independent schools are currently inspected by Ofsted. The rest are usually inspected by the Independent Schools Inspectorate, and the proposals do not affect these inspections. Bridget Phillipson, the education secretary, has said the funds raised would go to Ofsted to help improve standards in state schools. The eight-week consultation is running until 20 November. By Jasmine Norden, The Independent.

Schools Week looks in detail at the two options being considered by officials. One would see the fee rising sharply to £4,000 in 2026 before rising gradually to £4,600 by 2030. The second would see the fee increasing to £6,000 next year, with it gradually growing to £6,900 by 2030, an increase of 176 per cent. By Freddie Whittaker. Also reported by Hazel Shearing for BBC News, and by Cerys Turner in Tes.

Teenagers will sit a compulsory school reading test at 13 under plans expected to be set out in the Department for Education’s forthcoming white paper. The Times understands that ministers want to introduce a mandatory test of reading ability at the end of Year 8, when pupils have completed two years at secondary school. Results of the tests would be shared with the government and Ofsted, and potentially with individual children’s parents, but would not be published in league tables. By Nicola Woolcock.

The Independent Schools Council (ISC) monitors the national and educational press in order to keep independent schools up-to-date with relevant education news. The DNS is a service primarily for schools in membership of ISC associations, although other interested parties can choose to sign-up. We endeavour to include relevant news and commentary and, wherever possible, notable public letters. Where capacity allows, we may include links to ISC blogs, press statements and information about school or association events. News stories are selected based on their relevance to the independent sector as a whole. Editorial control of the DNS remains solely with the ISC.

Sign-up to the email service is available on our website.

Members can contact the ISC if they know in advance of news, letters or opinions that are likely to feature in the media, or are aware of existing coverage which they would like to see featured in the DNS.

Headlines and first-line summaries are written by the ISC with the link directing to the source material. You should read and comply with the terms and conditions of the websites to which we link.