The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, which will introduce registers to identify children not in school, and unique identifier numbers for children across services, has been published by Government today (17 December).

The Local Government Association (LGA) has joined the Association of Directors of Children’s Services (ADCS) in criticising proposals by the Tribunal Procedure Committee to change the rules on the handling of so-called ‘refusal appeals’, warning that they should not be implemented at a time when local SEND systems are under “significant pressure”.

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has launched an investigation into suspected bid-rigging in relation to school improvement contracts.

Meaningful reform to the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) system is likely to require a “significant expansion” of the core SEND provision available in mainstream schools, an expansion of state-funded special school places, a geographic redistribution of funding, and maybe reducing the statutory obligations currently attached to EHCPs, the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) has…

A group of headteachers of special schools in Kent have asked lawyers to explore launching a judicial review claim against Kent County Council, which is pursuing plans to change the designation and admissions guidance for some of the special schools in the county.

Capital City College Group is to procure an agreement for the provision of professional legal services, with a key emphasis on employment tribunal services.

Outcomes for children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) are poor with a “fundamental mismatch” between the scale of demand for support and the level of resource, Ofsted has warned.

Two-thirds of school leaders are “dissatisfied” with existing guidance on supporting SEND pupils, with 68% regarding the creation of a national set of SEND standards as the “biggest priority area” for Government, according to a survey by law firm Browne Jacobson.

The Department for Education has confirmed that the Government will not enter any more safety valve agreements with councils in financial difficulty over their SEND budget, “pending wider reform of the whole system to prioritise early intervention”.

Three linked claims challenging so-called 'safety valve' agreements will now proceed to a final judicial review hearing early next year.

Norfolk County Council has called for a trial period where decisions in the SEND tribunal “must take account of” Local Inclusion Plans and safety-valve agreements.

The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO) has called on the Government to provide it with extra powers to ensure they are fit for purpose and to address what it describes as “accountability gaps”.