11/04/2024: English schools could lose £1bn by 2030 as pupil numbers fall
School rolls swelled because of fertility surge in 2000s but birthrate and migration patterns have brought decline.
11/04/2024: Five thousand children with gender-related distress awaiting NHS care in England
New gender clinics looking at ‘creative ways’ of reducing waiting lists amid shortage of clinicians.
10/04/2024: Young people ‘distressed’ by frequent police visits at home, research warns
Young people with experience of the criminal justice system say the second most common place for them to see police is at their home, with incidents often involving excessive force from officers.
(Source: Children and Young People Now)
10/04/2024: Cass review: Gender identity services for young people ‘need to match standards of other NHS care’
A landmark healthcare review has called on the NHS to ensure gender identity services for young people match the standards of its other forms of care and support.
(Source: Children and Young People Now)
10/04/2024: Budgets to support visually impaired children slashed by councils
More than half of local authorities have cut or frozen the number of specialist teachers they employ to support children with visual impairments, according to new research.
(Source: Children and Young People Now)
10/04/2024: UK ministers considering banning sale of smartphones to under-16s
Polls show significant support for curb to protect children but some Tories uneasy with idea of government ‘microparenting’
09/04/2024: GCSE results for disadvantaged children ‘greatly improved by Sure Start’
Children eligible for free school meals (FSM) who live near a Sure Start centre saw increased performance at GCSE by three grades, six times higher than children not eligible for FSM, new research has found.
(Source: Children and Young People Now)
09/04/2024: Catch22 confirms Redthread merger
Social business Catch22 has confirmed a merger with youth violence prevention charity Redthread.
(Source: Children and Young People Now)
09/04/2024: SEND system ‘creaking at the seams’, schools minister warns
Schools minister Catherine McKinnell is warning that the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system is “creaking at the seams” as official figures show widespread delays in councils issuing education, health and care plans (EHCPs) for children.
(Source: Children and Young People Now)
09/04/2024: Residential care spending outstrips early intervention for first time, research finds
Councils‚Äô spending on children’s residential care is outstripping early help budgets for the first time, research commissioned by a coalition of charities has found.
(Source: Children and Young People Now)
09/04/2024: Preparing for Back-to-School: Online Safety and Wellbeing
As the summer holidays come to an end and students return to school, their daily routines change—whether it’s getting used to early mornings again, tackling homework, or getting back in touch with classmates. With the first few weeks of term upon us, it’s a great time to remind both students and teachers about the importance of online safety and digital wellbeing to prepare them for the rest of the school year with the help of SWGfL’s resources.
(Source: South West Grid for Learning)
08/04/2024: Special educational needs system in England in ‘utter disarray’, says ombudsman
Young people and their families lack support, while social workers are overwhelmed, according to Amerdeep Somal.