- Independent education: 'I have never doubted that we made the right decision'
- Number of SEND plans set to double to one in 10 as demand surges
- Schools divided over how to enforce smartphone ban
- Number of penalty notices for school absences reached record high in 2024-25
- How work experience can help drive engagement amid rising number of NEETs
- Teach children to challenge 9/11 conspiracy theories, says Muslim schools head
Independent education: 'I have never doubted that we made the right decision'
Independent sectorWriting in The Telegraph, journalist and solicitor Maria Shahid champions independent schools, praising their "sporting, musical and academic opportunities" and the confidence they gave her sons. Despite the financial sacrifices her family has made, she says: "Watching our boys thriving, I have never doubted that we made the right decision." Ms Shahid cites ISC figures showing that independent school pupil numbers have fallen by 30,000 since VAT on school fees was introduced in 2025, with numbers dropping by 3.5 per cent between 2025 and 2026.
In an article for School Management Plus, Peter Hogan, a former school leader and current chair of governors at Windermere School, criticises the government’s VAT on fees policy, arguing that it is exacerbating the decline of mid-tier independent schools while increasing inequality across the sector. "Ultimately, a tax designed to curb elitism is accelerating it," he concludes.
Number of SEND plans set to double to one in 10 as demand surges
SENDSchools and councils across England expect the number of children with education, health and care plans (EHCPs) to double to around one in 10 by 2029, as families rush to secure support before proposed reforms take effect. The warnings come as headteachers report an "unreal" surge in applications, with the number of pupils with EHCPs already rising by more than 11 per cent annually over the past two years. School leaders said their special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) coordinators had worked through the summer to deal with an influx of requests for assessments, and secondary schools warned that many more Year 7 pupils had been arriving with EHCPs or applications. By Richard Adams, The Guardian.
Ministers have also been warned of "critical" risks in their flagship SEND reforms in documents obtained by Tes. Flagging a series of issues, local councils tasked with managing much of the new support system have said the reforms are undermined by a lack of expert specialist staff, teacher burnout, a spike in demand for statutory support and families viewing the plans as cost-cutting measures. By John Roberts.
As the government prepares to increase funding for mainstream schools to better support pupils with SEND, schools minister Georgia Gould visited Thomas Lord Audley School in Colchester to see how its approach to special needs provision is working. By Richard Adams, The Guardian.
Schools divided over how to enforce smartphone ban
Mobile phonesThe government's smartphone ban has made schools legally obliged to keep children off their mobile phones for the first time, and teachers have been left divided over how to enforce it. The Independent visits Putney High School GDST, where pupils up to Year 8 are not allowed to bring mobile phones into school, with older pupils given phone pouches to lock their devices away during the day. Speaking to the paper, headteacher Jo Sharrock said the approach had been particularly beneficial for younger pupils who struggle to moderate their phone use, adding that it had had a "positive knock-on effect". By Nicole Wootton-Cane.
Number of penalty notices for school absences reached record high in 2024-25
AttendanceThe number of penalty notices for school absences reached a record high of almost 500,000 in the 2024-25 academic year, prompting experts to warn that the cases are adding pressure to an already overloaded justice system. According to analysis of Department for Education figures by The Sunday Times, the notices made up 2.9 per cent of cases sentenced at magistrates' courts last year, up from 1.4 per cent in 2017. By Matilda Davies.
How work experience can help drive engagement amid rising number of NEETs
CareersThe Times explores how the success of work experience schemes in Bedfordshire could provide a model for early intervention, amid calls to move away from reactive policies to address the rising number of young people who are not in employment, education or training (NEETs). The paper talks to students at Sandy Secondary School, where early work experience, including placements for disengaged pupils, is used to build confidence, ambition and links with the world of work. By Mary Downer and Will Humphries.
Teach children to challenge 9/11 conspiracy theories, says Muslim schools head
Teaching and learningChildren should be taught to challenge conspiracy theories about 9/11 to counter misinformation online, Ashfaque Chowdhury, the chairman of the Association of Muslim Schools, has said. Speaking to The Telegraph in a personal capacity, he urged teachers to "really home in on the human cost", adding that this must be a "key focus" in classes. By Camilla Turner.