Schools and teachers face a "huge ask" implementing the government’s special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) proposals affecting hundreds of thousands of children, according to MPs and education leaders who otherwise gave the plans a cautious welcome. Pepe Di’Iasio, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said: "The planned SEND reforms are certainly necessary and seem sensible but they constitute a huge ask on mainstream schools to expand existing provision and implement training on a massive scale." Daniel Kebede, leader of the National Education Union, welcomed news of an inclusion grant but said it is "too small", equating to only a part-time teaching assistant for the average primary school and two for average secondary schools. The Guardian also quotes Daniel Francis, a Labour MP whose child has an education, health and care plan (EHCP). He said: "The transitions are going to be very important, not just from primary to secondary, but also at 16 and 18. Hopefully this can be worked on through the consultation process." By Kiran Stacey and Richard Adams.

BBC News talks to families, teachers, pupils and councils about their experiences of the current SEND system, and their reactions to the government's proposals. Aimee Bradley, a mother of three children with SEND, says she is concerned by the areas that she believes are lacking "concrete detail" in the white paper. Asking what could happen if there were to be a change in government, she says "there are so many unanswered questions". By Rahib Khan.

Writing in Tes, shadow education secretary Laura Trott says a lack of clarity and insufficient funding could endanger the government's well-intentioned reforms. "With reforms relying heavily on mainstream schools delivering significantly enhanced SEND provision, it beggars belief that the workforce plan contains no mention of specialist teachers", she warns.

In light of the government's intention to establish an inclusion base in every secondary school, Barry Reed, founding headteacher of Gilbert Ward Academy in Northumberland, a special secondary school for students with SEMH needs and autistic students, shares advice for setting up effective provision. In his article for Tes, Mr Reed writes: "An inclusion base should not become a destination. It is an extension of the school’s provision, designed to support students when they need it."

Writing to The Telegraph, Sue Stephens, the retired headteacher of a specialist school, argues that the government's plans to reform the SEND system "do not tackle the big challenges that schools are facing", namely in relation to the idea of early individual support plans. Urging the education secretary to ensure the 10-year financial plan takes into account the provision of space, she says: "Without space and specialist expertise, schools will be unable to deliver the excellence we need, the number of school refusers will rise, and the pressure on families and school staff will escalate."
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In a letter to The Times, James Watson-O’Neill, chief executive of Sense, says ministers have a "once-in-a-generation chance to fix what is broken". Highlighting the work of his charity, which supports disabled children with complex needs, he says: "There is a great deal to address, from serious workforce shortages and a lack of joined-up working to chronic underfunding. Parents’ attitudes, however, are not on the list."

Also writing to The Times, Sue Vincent from Tunbridge Wells, a teacher of 50 years, share her sadness at having witnessed the "mass closure" of special schools. Ms Vincent suggests such closures are contributing to the teacher retention crisis, and adds: "The return of special schools for those with a moderate need should be considered, particularly given that being a teacher in this sphere is a rewarding and highly regarded skill."
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Kevan Collins has been named Bridget Phillipson’s delivery adviser with a focus on SEND reform and looking at how the Department for Education (DfE) engages with councils. The DfE's lead non-executive board member, Mr Collins will take on the additional part-time role "to ensure reform programmes are clear and achievable". By Samantha Booth, Schools Week.

Boys should be allowed to experiment and wear dresses at primary school, Bridget Phillipson, the education secretary, has said. During a phone-in with LBC’s Nick Ferrari yesterday, Ms Phillipson was asked about the government's new guidance on gender transitioning and how broad the role of school staff had become. Responding to the question of whether someone aged five could know if they wanted to be a man or a woman, she said: "Children will experiment at different points, they will consider who they are. But just taking a watchful approach, not coming down too hard on that, actually reduces what we see in terms of children moving towards a more medicalised model." By Dominic Penna, The Telegraph.

A new study at University Hospital Southampton is offering children with asthma an enhanced check-up to curb overuse of inhalers. The study is looking at whether the extra check with a specialist nurse will lead to fewer asthma attacks. Children who use a lot of blue reliever inhalers are several times more likely to have severe asthma attacks, which can be life-threatening. Researchers hope to create a new alert system that will notify GPs if more than six reliever inhalers have been prescribed so the child's check-up can be arranged. The article includes information about asthma, including symptoms and a link to the NHS website. By Dave Gilyeat, BBC News.

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