ISC Daily News Summary

Ministers have not yet made a decision on future changes to Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) and are not looking to end "effective provision" for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), schools minister Catherine McKinnell told MPs yesterday during the final session of the Commons Education Select Committee’s inquiry into solving the SEND crisis. A white paper setting out planned SEND reforms is expected to be published in the autumn. Tes outlines six key points that Ms McKinnell and Alison Ismail, the Department for Education’s (DfE) director of SEND, told MPs. By John Roberts.

Writing in Schools Week, Brahm Norwich, emeritus professor of educational psychology and special educational needs at the University of Exeter, explores how ministers might be able to reduce EHCPs without limiting parents' rights. He says: "Perhaps there’s a way for more basic reform to maintain individual statutory protections for children with SEND when needed, while dealing with the problems of the current EHCP system and addressing the challenges of making mainstream schools more inclusive." Mr Norwich acknowledges such changes take time but would "lay the foundations for more nuanced and flexible plans".

A number of families are campaigning to save Bishop Challoner School, which is facing imminent closure owing to financial pressures including the government's VAT on fees policy. The mother of one child with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) told The Independent she will have no choice but to homeschool her son if the closure goes ahead as planned on Friday, the last day of this academic year. Of the school’s 271 pupils, 94 (approximately 35 per cent) have SEND, which is almost double the 18 per cent of all pupils in England, according to official figures. The anonymous mother told the paper that many parents whose needs cannot be met in the state sector chose Bishop Challoner as a "space with excellent pastoral care", and described the process of securing an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) for her child as "impossible". Stacy Long, a parent whose son attends the school, said: "To see the development they’ve done with him, educationally, socially – there had to be a fight to keep the school alive." By Tara Cobham.

Jeff Kinney continues to top the charts as the most-read author among pupils in the UK and his Diary of a Wimpy Kid series remains a firm favourite, according to research by the University of Dundee and researchers from the National Literacy Trust. New authors are also rising in popularity, including Marcus Rashford with The Breakfast Club Adventures, suggesting a growing demand for inclusive and relatable stories. Although the total number of books read has fallen slightly, schools are dedicating more time to reading, and comprehension levels have improved since 2024. By Georgia Lambert, The Times.