The first edition of Independent School Management Plus for 2026 reflects on how independent schools responded to the pandemic. The issue features an article from former MP Andrew Lewer, who recalls life in Westminster at the time and the battles he fought on behalf of the sector. Dr Helen Wright, a former headteacher and current leadership coach, explores what school leaders have learnt from the "lockdown years", while consultant Christina Astin looks at how the pandemic acted as a catalyst for cross-sector partnerships. 

Schools have become the biggest provider of foodbanks across England, with 4,000 across the country, a recent report by the University of Bristol has revealed. BBC News meets Nathan Atkinson, the co-founder of Rethink Food, which has started providing funding to schools to cover the costs of helping families with food parcels and supper clubs. Previously a headteacher at a Leeds school, Mr Atkinson started the charity after seeing hungry pupils struggling to concentrate in class. By Emma Glasbey.

Without widespread artificial intelligence (AI) education, a social divide could emerge between those who understand and can challenge automated systems and those who cannot, experts have warned. Philip Colligan, chief executive of digital education charity the Raspberry Pi Foundation, told the Guardian AI literacy must become a universal part of education on a par with reading and writing to such division, which could be "really very dangerous". His warning was backed by Simon Peyton Jones, who led the creation of the national curriculum for computing in 2014, and who has called for a new digital literacy qualification to ensure pupils use AI critically. By Robert Booth. 

Pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) in South Yorkshire are travelling long distances each week, with some making round trips of up to 108 miles, according to local authority data. Councils in Barnsley, Doncaster and Rotherham have overspent on SEND transport, and authorities have told BBC News that rising demand for specialist places is putting local provision under pressure. The County Councils Network has warned the system is "in crisis", with deficits potentially reaching £6 billion. The data was provided in response to a Freedom of Information request by the BBC. By Lucy Ashton.

A Buckinghamshire primary school is opening an eight-place specialist unit in response to rising demand, with government-funded refurbishment approved by the council. The facility, at Iver Village Junior School, will cater for children with SEND alongside the school's existing 220 mainstream places and will be staffed by specialist teachers and assistants. The school is keen that pupils can access the mainstream curriculum while also receiving specialist support. By Nathaniel Lawson, BBC News.

The growing role of schools and nurseries in providing childcare and early education has been revealed by the Department for Education's (DfE) annual childcare and early years provider survey. The research highlights regional differences and the greater role schools play in deprived communities. Tes outlines the survey's key insights. By Kyle Tormey. 

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