NEWS UPDATES

Take a look at what's been happening in the world of education and health and safety since our last issue...

A report suggests that all teachers should receive training on special educational needs to help eliminate the 'postcode lottery.'

The Education Policy Institute (EPI) has uncovered evidence of a “SEND lottery” in schools across England, showing significant disparities in how children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) are identified and supported. The report highlights that gaps in teacher training, fragmented school systems, and language barriers are causing many children to be overlooked.

Researchers analysed data from both primary and secondary schools to determine which students are most at risk of missing out on support. The findings include:

• Pupils attending academies or living in areas with a high concentration of academies are less likely to be identified as having SEND;

• Children who frequently change schools or have high absence rates are less likely to receive a SEND diagnosis; and

• Pupils who speak English as an additional language face lower chances of being recognized as having SEND.

Jo Hutchinson, Director for SEND and Additional Needs at EPI, stated, “Our research confirms the long-held belief in a SEND lottery across schools. Children who are frequently absent, move schools often, or live in areas with a high number of academies are at greater risk of missing essential support.”

The report also highlights that girls with emotional disorders and children from disadvantaged backgrounds in high-deprivation areas are at risk of being overlooked. In response, the EPI is calling for teacher training on SEND and child development to become mandatory during initial teacher training, early career development, and ongoing professional development. Researchers believe this would help reduce the wide variations in how schools identify and support SEND students.

Additionally, further investigation into inconsistencies in SEND assessments across schools is being urged.

Arooj Shah, Chair of the Local Government Association’s (LGA) Children and Young People Board, has called for reforms: “It is crucial that the government outlines its plans to reform the SEND system in the upcoming spending review.” She added that improving inclusion in mainstream schools should be a top priority, ensuring that schools, early years settings, and colleges have the necessary resources and expertise to support SEND children.

The LGA is also advocating for a new national SEND framework and the establishment of Local Inclusion Partnerships to improve coordination between schools, local councils, and healthcare providers.

With thousands of children missing vital support, campaigners are urging action. Daniel Kebede, General Secretary of the National Education Union, commented: “The evidence of a postcode lottery in SEND support is no surprise to us. For years, many academy schools have been refusing to admit SEND students, suggesting that their needs could be better met elsewhere. This has denied these students the choice of school and educational opportunities. It’s encouraging to see this issue highlighted, and we call on the government to urgently investigate the reasons behind it.”

Natasha Ednan-Laperouse died after she fell ill on a flight from London to Nice after eating a sandwich at Heathrow Airport.

King Charles has sent a message of support for a new allergy awareness programme for schools, launched by the parents of Natasha Ednan-Laperouse.

Natasha, from Fulham, west London, died in July 2016 aged 15, following a severe allergic reaction to a Pret a Manger sandwich containing sesame.

The £1m "Allergy School" was developed in part with the King's Foundation charity and aims to train teachers and other school staff to better understand and deal with food allergies.

The King said he was "delighted" about the new scheme and said it was "so important" to keep children with food allergies safe.

Tanya Ednan-Laperouse said the Allergy School programme would "ensure all children are safe and able to participate fully at school"

After Natasha's death, the law was changed to require all food outlets to provide a full ingredients list and allergy labelling on food pre-packaged for direct sale.

However, a recent survey by the teachers' union NASUWT and the Natasha Allergy Research Foundation (NARF) suggested many teachers had little food allergy awareness to deal with issues arising in schools.

The King said: "Improving understanding of this issue is so important for keeping children with food allergies safe and ensuring they are able to participate fully in activities at school or in our wider communities.

"I am particularly heartened that my King's Foundation has been closely involved with the project, helping all of us to become more aware of the many ways we can support one another."

Tanya Ednan-Laperouse OBE, Natasha's mother and founder of NARF, said the survey findings were "shocking" and exposed the barriers faced by children with food allergies.

"Finding a nursery where Natasha would be safe was extremely difficult. Natasha at times was bullied at school because of her food allergies and this was incredibly stressful and isolating for both her and our family."

The scheme will extend to nurseries and clubs as well as schools and includes educational films, first aid advice, lesson plans and assembly packs developed in partnership with The King's Foundation, St John Ambulance, the children's charity Coram Life Education and Tesco Stronger Starts.

Mrs Ednan-Laperouse added: "Government, schools, teachers, parents and pupils need to come together to support children with food allergies in this country.

"Today we are kickstarting that process," she added, saying the new programme would "ensure all children are safe and able to participate fully at school".

Patrick Roach, general secretary of NASUWT, said the recent survey of teachers was "important".

"It is essential that children and staff in schools with food allergies get the help they need to keep them safe," he added.

Schools in Essex forced into lockdown following the receipt of threatening emails.

Clacton Coastal Academy issued a statement on social media, explaining that the school was informed by police of a potential local threat. However, they clarified that Clacton Coastal Academy itself was not specifically named. In consultation with the police, the school implemented a partial lockdown to restrict movement between the east and west sites.

Several schools in Essex were forced into lockdown following the receipt of threatening emails. Schools in Essex and nearby border towns temporarily closed their doors on Tuesday, February 4, as a precaution while police investigated. Authorities have since arrested one man in connection with the threats.

The lockdowns affected several Essex schools, with staff taking the necessary precautions while police conducted inquiries. A Metropolitan Police spokesperson confirmed the investigation: “The Met is investigating threats made to schools across the country, and an arrest was made this afternoon. Police were alerted to the threats around 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday, February 4, targeting schools in Hackney and Essex. Officers attended the Hackney school, conducted a thorough search of the grounds, and found no suspicious items. Our priority is the safety of students and staff. We're working with affected schools to provide reassurance, and officers are increasing patrols in the affected areas. ”

Clacton Coastal Academy issued a statement on social media, explaining that the school was informed by police of a potential local threat. However, they clarified that Clacton Coastal Academy itself was not specifically named. In consultation with the police, the school implemented a partial lockdown to restrict movement between the east and west sites.

Study suggests banning mobile phones in schools does not lead to improved grades or behaviour

A study suggests that banning mobile phones in schools does not lead to improved grades or behaviour, challenging the effectiveness of such policies. The first study of its kind found no significant difference in students' sleep, classroom behaviour, exercise, or time spent on phones between schools with phone bans and those without. However, the study did highlight a connection between increased smartphone and social media use and worse outcomes across these measures.

The research, led by Dr. Victoria Goodyear from the University of Birmingham, is the first to examine school phone policies alongside student health and academic performance. Dr. Goodyear told the BBC that while the findings were not meant to oppose phone bans, they showed that simply banning phones isn’t enough to address their negative effects. "What we're suggesting is that these bans alone don't tackle the broader impacts," she said, emphasizing the need to focus on reducing screen time overall.

The study, published in The Lancet’s European health policy journal, analysed data from 1,227 students across 30 secondary schools in England, comparing their smartphone use policies during break and lunchtime. The research found no noticeable improvement in students' health, wellbeing, or academic focus in schools that restricted phone use. However, more screen time, especially on social media, was linked to poorer mental health, less physical activity, worse sleep, lower grades, and more disruptive behaviour in the classroom.

Joe Ryrie, from the campaign group Smartphone Free Childhood, told BBC Radio 4 that the study’s findings were "surprising," given the positive feedback from teachers in their network who have implemented phone bans. He also expressed concern over the amount of time children in the study spent on their phones—averaging four to six hours a day—calling it a "terrifying amount of time." He stressed the need for stricter regulations to make social media safer and less addictive for children.

While some students from schools with phone bans have reported benefits such as less bullying and improved social skills, these factors were not included in the study. The researchers noted that more research is needed to explore these areas further.

For instance, Ysgol Aberconwy in Conwy recently introduced a policy where students’ phones are locked in magnetic pouches unless a teacher unlocks them for educational use. The school cites research linking social media use to rising loneliness and lower life satisfaction among children.

The debate over whether children under 16 should be allowed smartphones may intensify as a result of this study. A government official responded to the findings by noting that teachers already have "clear guidance" on managing phone use in ways that work for their schools. The upcoming Online Safety Act is also expected to protect young people from harmful content online and ensure age-appropriate experiences. The official added that further research, such as a study led by the University of Cambridge on social media’s impact on children’s wellbeing, is underway to provide more clarity on the issue.

Ofsted Proposes Fairer Inspections and Detailed Report Cards

Ofsted has launched a consultation on a new approach to inspecting education providers and introducing report cards. The proposals aim to provide parents with more detailed insights into their child’s school, early years, or further education provider while ensuring a fairer evaluation system.

The new Ofsted report cards aim to meet both needs by offering:

• A colour-coded 5-point grading scale for key evaluation areas

• Short summaries detailing strengths and areas for improvement.

• No overall effectiveness grade, reducing pressure on staff and presenting a balanced view of provider performance.

The new scale includes:

• Causing concern: Serious issues requiring urgent intervention.

• Attention needed: Areas needing improvement but under active management.

• Secure: Meeting expected standards.

• Strong: Consistently high standards.

• Exemplary: Exceptional practices worth sharing nationally.

• This approach aims to highlight good practices while ensuring accountability, giving parents clearer insights without disproportionately burdening school staff.

Across all education phases, inspections will now include a dedicated focus on inclusion. This means inspectors will assess how well schools and providers support vulnerable and disadvantaged learners, including those with SEND. This ensures these students’ needs remain central to inspections.

To provide fairer evaluations, Ofsted proposes including more contextual data in inspections and reports. This data will encompass:

• Learner characteristics

• Performance outcomes

• Absence and attendance figures

• Local area demographic

Changes to School Monitoring and Inspections

From autumn 2025, Ofsted will no longer conduct ungraded inspections of state-funded schools. Every school will receive a full, graded inspection in its next routine review.

Additionally, Ofsted will introduce monitoring calls and visits for schools where improvement is needed. Any school receiving an ‘attention needed’ grade in any area will be monitored until tangible improvements are seen.

School Introduces Saturday Detention to Address Behaviour Issues

A school facing ongoing behavioural challenges has implemented a two-hour Saturday morning detention for students. Caldicot School in Monmouthshire, which experienced staff strikes in 2023 due to verbal and physical abuse from pupils, has informed parents about the new policy, which will take effect this weekend.

Pupils can now face Saturday detention if they accumulate bad behaviour marks. Acting Head Teacher, Alun Ebenezer, explained that the Saturday detention is necessary when other forms of punishment, like after-school detentions, have failed to yield results. Six students have been instructed to attend detention this Saturday.

Despite this, Ebenezer noted that the majority of the school’s 1,300 students follow the rules, with only a few boys attending Tuesday after-school detention. The school hopes that Saturday detention will deter suspensions, also known as fixed-term exclusions, though failure to attend will result in exclusion.

Additional measures to address misbehaviour include students cleaning vandalised tables, supervised litter-picking, and some parents being asked to sit with their children during lessons. Ebenezer clarified that the Saturday detention has been part of the school's eight-page behaviour policy since September, but has only now been put into practice.

He acknowledged the difficulty of enforcing this policy, stating, “I have to travel nearly an hour to get here on Saturday and I don’t want to be there. But this is the next step in our approach. Once students start respecting the system, we can move away from detentions. We all want students to behave well, and sometimes we have to take difficult steps.”

The new policy, which will run once per half-term, was discussed with students in school assemblies. Although schools are permitted to implement Saturday detentions, they must avoid scheduling them immediately before or after half-term breaks. Parents have been advised to consider the inconvenience of travel arrangements, as it will not be excused.

In the latest report, education inspectors from Estyn noted that both staff morale and pupil behaviour have improved since Ebenezer's appointment, although they still identified the need for "significant improvement" at the school.

The introduction of Saturday detentions follows a recent backlash regarding dress code enforcement, where several girls were sent home for violating skirt length regulations.

The study used the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scales to assess students’ wellbeing, and also looked at anxiety, depression, and academic performance in English and maths. It found that higher phone usage was associated with a decline in mental wellbeing and academic results.

Key Proposals:

• New Ofsted Report Cards: Providing detailed evaluations across multiple areas rather than a single-word judgment.

• 5-Point Grading Scale: Introducing ‘exemplary’ as the highest grade to drive higher standards.

• Monitoring Schools with Weaknesses: Ensuring timely action is taken to improve standards.

• Greater Focus on Disadvantaged and Vulnerable Learners: Emphasizing support for SEND students.

• Consideration of Local Context: Including demographic and performance data to assess schools fairly.

• Tailored Inspections: New toolkits to align inspections with provider type and phase of education.

King praises school allergy scheme after teen death

The school maintained close contact with parents, updating them as the police confirmed the threat was not credible. "Our students and staff acted calmly and responsibly throughout, and we are extremely proud of our school community," the statement read. "We will always take swift action to ensure the safety of everyone involved."

Sir Martin Frobisher Academy also communicated with parents via Facebook. "Earlier today, we received a threatening email, as did several other schools in the UK, including other local schools. We’ve been working closely with the police, and as of now, there is no credible threat. By 9 a.m. this morning, our students were informed, and they knew what steps to take in case of lockdown. They’ve been responsible, and you would be proud of them," the post explained. "We were in a pre-lockdown situation, ready to act if necessary. The police advised against contacting parents immediately to avoid causing unnecessary panic if the threat turned out to be false. We appreciate the support and understanding from those who’ve refrained from speculating about the situation."