education
Primary school pupil suspensions in England double in a decade Jo The rate at which primary school pupils are being suspended from state schools in England has more than doubled in a decade, BBC analysis suggests. Permanent exclusion rates of primary-age pupils have also gone up – by almost 70% in the same period. Campaigners … Read more
Sadiq Khan: ‘Free school meals as long as I am mayor’ PA Media The mayor’s free school meals scheme has benefitted London’s children The Mayor of London has said his policy of free lunch for every pupil at state primary schools in London will continue despite questions about how he will pay for it. His … Read more
Life Wirral boss may have spent public cash on family’s companies Unknown Planning documents show Mr Saverimutto (above left, back) said the gym would help aspiring athletes The chief executive of a school for children with special educational needs appears to have diverted public money into other business interests linked to him and his family. … Read more
Social media ban for under-16s ‘on the table’ says UK government Getty Images A possible ban on social media for under-16s in the UK is “on the table”, the technology secretary Peter Kyle has told the BBC. Speaking on the Today programme, on BBC Radio 4, he said he would “do what it takes” to … Read more
Great Yarmouth parents prosecuted over absences Tina Leslie/Freedom4Girls Tina Leslie, founder of a charity supporting teenage girls, accused some schools of penalising female pupils for something they cannot prevent or control Nineteen parents and guardians have appeared before magistrates in Norfolk charged with the unauthorised absence of their child from school. The prosecutions at Great … Read more
Staff ‘demoralised’ over Northumbria University course cuts The closure of two undergraduate courses at a university is “demoralising” to staff, a union has said. Northumbria University said it had proposed cutting two joint degrees from next September – business with Spanish, and business with French. University and College Union (UCU) official Jon Bryan said the … Read more
Special educational needs system has burst, headteacher warns BBC Ruth says she could not find a suitable mainstream school for her eight-year-old son Samuel Children with complex needs are being sent to private schools up to 200 miles away from home because there is not enough capacity in the state system, a BBC investigation has … Read more
Cardiff University student’s wrong results suicide prompts support call Family photo Mared Foulkes was a talented and hard working student, who had wanted to be a pharmacist since she was a child, her parents said The parents of a student who killed herself after receiving inaccurate exam results are calling for universities to provide better … Read more
Northern Ireland politicians hear about SEN ‘cliff edge’ fears BBC Caroline Campbell was among parents who hosted the event at Stormont “He would go from having five days a week in school in a supported environment with his peers to basically having nothing and being at home with me.” Caroline Campbell’s autistic 17-year-old son Oscar … Read more
County Durham free school meals auto-enrolment ‘way forward’ Durham County Council Very few households chose to opt out of the scheme, the council said The automatic enrolment of children for free school meals should become a standard practice, a councillor has said following a successful trial. The scheme, run by Fix Our Food research programme … Read more