Longridge Towers School is opening its doors on 2 February for its annual Sustainability Week, giving families and the local community a chance to see how these themes are woven into everyday life.

Outdoor learning is a key part of the school’s curriculum, with activities ranging from weekly Forest School and Beach School sessions to annual residential trips. Senior pupils recently visited Borneo, combining mountain climbing with cleaning beaches and helping villagers rebuild homes damaged by storms. The current cohort is planning a trip to Botswana’s Rhino Reserve, where they will learn more about the endangerment and protection of wildlife. Younger students have also experienced rewilding in the Highlands, whale and dolphin monitoring in Scotland, and outdoor living in Finland.

Highlighting the role of outdoor learning in balancing children’s screen time and academic pressures, deputy headteacher Jenell Arnott commented: "It is important to stop and look at the world around us [...] and what influence we can have to help others and the planet. Our Sustainability Week will feature everything from planting trees to recycling clothes, fashion design to science and maths projects, mapping how we can become more sustainable in our daily lives."

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Nearly half of school leaders needed support with their mental health in the past year, according to an annual poll by school leaders’ union NAHT. Almost three quarters (72 per cent) of the 1,517 respondents said their job has affected their wellbeing, up from 65 per cent the previous year. NAHT’s general secretary Paul Whiteman described the findings as "extremely worrying" and said they "should be a real cause for concern for government". The union is urging ministers to agree to universal entitlement to professional supervision for all leaders to air concerns about their roles. By Ruth Lucas, Schools Week.

Experts in the independent school sector have told iNews they expect to see a contraction in pupil numbers and slow growth in 2026. Last year, the Independent Schools Council (ISC) found that fees rose 22.6 per cent on average for day schools amid the introduction of the government's VAT on fees policy. This compared to an 8.4 per cent rise in 2024 and a 6.4 per cent rise in 2023. The ISC said it was still too early to say what would happen to fees, with most schools announcing their fees in the spring. Speaking to the paper, Julie Robinson, chief executive of the ISC, noted that pupil numbers "have fallen by more than the government estimates already", with signs suggesting "further decreases are expected". Ms Robinson also said she did not believe the Office for Budget Responsibility’s (OBR) recent forecast that VAT on fees would raise an additional £40 million per year, on top of the original £1.7 billion annual estimate by 2029, would materialise. "Regardless of what schools decide, the revenue from the government’s decision to tax education is likely to fall short of the OBR’s prediction," she warned. By Will Hazell.

In a letter to The Guardian, Alexandra Cocksworth, deputy head of Lord Wandsworth College, says a ban on social media for under‑16s "is the bare minimum that our government should be pursuing for children in the UK". Ms Cocksworth adds that since 2010, when she began teaching, she has witnessed the mental health crisis grow, warning that policymakers have been too slow to address the safeguarding risks of online platforms. Solutions including sport, music, youth clubs, and role‑modelling are well known, she says, but more is needed. "Those in power have got to take bold action to prevent the harms of social media being baked in for the next generation," she concludes. The letter appears close to the top.

Tes looks at the issue of social media and its impact on schools, asking whether the problem lies with the platforms themselves or devices in general. A summary of the changes to government guidance on mobile phones earlier this week follows the article. By Cerys Turner. 

Ministers may dilute plans to overhaul the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system over fears of a backbench rebellion, The Times reports. Bridget Phillipson, the education secretary, is understood to be considering measures that would mean education, health and care plans (EHCPs) are used for only the most severe and complex cases. The percentage of all pupils in England with an EHCP has increased to 5.3 per cent, up from 4.8 per cent in 2024. A government source said No 10 and the Department for Education were "working in lockstep" on the SEND system. By Nicola Woolcock and Georgia Lambert. 

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