ISC Daily News Summary

Hundreds of young people across the UK are set to take part in a government trial of social media bans, time limits and curfews, as ministers decide on potential measures to improve children's relationship with social media. Driven by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, the six-week pilot programme will involve 300 teenagers aged 13 to 17. Participants will test a number of restrictions on their social media usage, with researchers monitoring the effects on their schoolwork, sleep patterns, and family life. Technology secretary Liz Kendall said the pilots will give ministers "the evidence we need to take the next steps, informed by the experiences of families themselves". By Jasmine Norden, The Independent. 

In a new blog for the ISC, two headteachers share their thoughts on whether social media apps should be restricted to over-16s, drawing from their own schools’ mobile phone policies and approaches to online safety.

On why the proposal to ban social media for children under 16 receives his "full support", George May, head of Cothill House explains that his school is "unashamedly" mobile-free, adding: "Social media can wait. Childhood cannot." 

Reflecting on the complexity of the issue, Matthew Burke, head of Beaulieu Convent School, says social media offers young people "a space for creativity, connection, activism, and belonging", and warns that a blanket ban "risks driving use underground". He adds: "Rather than just asking, 'How do we restrict?', we also ask: 'How do we teach discernment, self-control, and critical thinking in a digital age?'"

Parents reportedly fear key parts of the government’s special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) reforms may already be decided, after a legal letter suggested changes to the accountability of education, health and care plans (EHCPs) and appeal rights will not be consulted on. Lawyers are now challenging the government over whether the decision has been "lawfully made", while a Department for Education (DfE) spokesperson has insisted that it is "consulting across the full set of proposals". Speaking to iNews, Claire Walley, a former teacher and founder of consultancy SEN Expert said she is "deeply concerned" that critical elements of the SEND reforms appear to have "already been decided". By Connie Dimsdale.

Councils in England will need to lay out plans to create more places in local mainstream schools for pupils with SEND as a condition of receiving a share of £860 million in new government funding. Authorities must submit their written plans to the DfE by June this year, and if approved, payments will be released in the autumn. The plans must outline how councils will enable more children with SEND to attend their local school and reduce the number of pupils travelling long distances to learn. No child currently at a special school or college will have to move under the government’s plans unless they wish to, ministers have said. By Patrick Butler, The Guardian.

Writing in Tes, Dr Adam England, principal of Rugby School Nigeria, urges international schools to engage more deeply with their local communities to drive meaningful, positive change. On the impact of such collaboration for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), he says: "Although it still has a long way to go, SEND is more developed both in understanding and provision – a clear illustration of the benefits that international schools can bring to their adjacent communities."