A ban on pupils using mobile phones during the school day has been backed by the House of Lords, with a Conservative Party amendment to the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill passing by 178 votes to 140. Education secretary Bridget Phillipson has previously advised schools that they should be phone-free during school hours, but the guidance does not have legal force. Calling for action, Conservative shadow education minister Baroness Barran said: "We need to reset our own and our children's relationship with smartphones and social media, as smartphones are so often the gateway drug to social media." By Tabby Wilson, BBC News. 

One in six autistic children have not attended school at all since last September, according to a new survey by the Ambitious About Autism charity. Nearly half (45 per cent) of the parents and young people who responded to the UK-wide poll said they felt "blamed" by the government for the absences. Of those who missed school, 62 per cent said it was due to mental health issues and 30 per cent said they were too physically unwell to go to school. A fifth said their school place was not suitable. The findings come as the government's latest national figures show autistic children had far higher rates of absence than children and young people without special needs. Erin, 20, from Hertfordshire, is in her final year studying for a BTEC after missing large parts of her schooling due to undiagnosed autism, exhaustion and burnout. She told The Guardian: "I hope the government’s reforms will create a culture change in mainstream schools that makes them more accessible to autistic pupils. There is so much rigidity in the current school system that makes things really challenging." By Sally Weale.

With the government's delayed special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) reforms expected soon, iNews takes a closer look at what the new system will look like, including how the new four tiers will be categorised. The paper understands that the changes are likely to come in by the 2029-30 academic year at the earliest, with legislation expected to be tabled later this year. The long lead time is likely to evoke a different response from parents, depending on their personal situation and child's requirements. By Connie Dimsdale.

Writing in The Telegraph, Baroness Cass says social media firms cannot be trusted to put children’s welfare above profit. Ahead of today's debate, initiated by the Conservatives, when the party will demand that Labour accept a proposal to introduce an immediate Australia-style ban on under-16s’ access to social media, she urges ministers to "scrap this consultation and get on with raising the age limit for social media to 16". Lady Cass writes: "This is a real opportunity to start at ground zero, and for UK tech companies and international partners to develop safe-by-design apps and devices for under-16s, with bank-grade security to enrol." The article immediately follows the news item by Charles Hymas.

The mother of murdered teenager Brianna Ghey has welcomed a £250,000 donation from the Duke of Westminster towards lockable phone pouches for secondary schools across Cheshire. The donation is likely to make Cheshire the first county in the UK to introduce a smartphone ban for all children in its state schools. Brianna Ghey was killed by two teenagers who were obsessed with violent material they accessed online, and she herself had become "addicted" to her phone. Brianna's former school, Birchwood Community High School, went phone-free in September 2024 and has seen an 81 per cent reduction in "safeguarding issues" linked to social media or mobile phones. By Jonny Humphries, BBC News.

Experts have made four recommendations to help ministers and schools increase reading for pleasure amid warnings that it has dropped to its lowest level for 20 years. Speaking to MPs on the Commons Education Select Committee, which launched its inquiry into the decline in reading for pleasure last November, experts including Teresa Cremin, professor of literacy education at the Open University, suggested the problem can be tackled by giving reading a "higher profile" in the curriculum. By Kyle Tormey, Tes.

The universities of Greenwich and Kent have announced they have been given formal approval to merge into the UK’s first "super-university". The higher education institutions revealed plans to merge in September last year, saying the move would be a "blueprint for others to follow", but legal documentation has now been formally signed by both sides. The merger comes as UK universities face continued financial pressure, with the Office for Students warning in November that about 45 per cent of providers could be facing a deficit for 2024-25. PA Media, The Guardian.

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