Latest news with #specialNeeds
Telegraph
24-06-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Schools must ‘decolonise' special needs curriculum, says Ofsted inspector
An Ofsted inspector has called for the curriculum in special schools to be 'decolonised' to make sure pupils do not receive a 'colour blind' education. Priya Bhagrath said special needs students should be given an education that 'reflects who they are and the world they live in'. She said special educational needs and disabilities (Send) schools have been 'excluded from the conversation' of 'decolonising the curriculum' following the murder of George Floyd in the US in 2020. Ms Bhagrath, who is the head teacher of a Send school, said the incident 'forced mainstream schools to reckon with their complicity in systemic racism'. Many special needs students belong to the so-called 'global majority', which refers to all ethnic groups except white British and other white groups. Writing in Teach Primary magazine about Send schools, Ms Bhagrath said: 'The sector that serves our most vulnerable pupils, many of them also 'global majority', was excluded from the conversation altogether. 'There are four pillars that I believe are critical for truly anti-racist Send education: Multicultural education that goes beyond festivals and food, and instead recognises lived experience, cultural narratives, and history. 'Increased representation, particularly in leadership, where those making the decisions should reflect the communities they serve. 'Decolonising the curriculum so Send pupils are not fed a diluted, colour-blind education, but one that reflects who they are and the world they live in. 'Anti-racist practice embedded in every part of school life, from the language we use with parents to the expectations we hold for our staff - and the training we provide for them. 'This is a call for collective action. The pupils at the intersection of race and Send are not just underachieving – they are being failed by a system that was never designed with them in mind. The data on exclusions, outcomes, and engagement paints the picture clearly. 'We do not need more evidence, we need resolve. If you are a head teacher, a policymaker, a teacher, a parent, or someone working in education with a desire to lead with equity, then this plea is for you. It is not comfortable, but it is necessary. 'We cannot keep rolling out saris for sensory play and calling it multicultural inclusion. We cannot keep hiring diverse staff without opening up real pathways to leadership. We cannot keep writing off families for being 'hard to reach' when we have not even tried. 'If you believe inclusion matters, then intersectionality must be at the heart of your work.' According to her LinkedIn profile, as well as being an Ofsted inspector, Ms Bhagrath is the head of Bishopswood School near Reading, Berkshire.
The Guardian
13-06-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
High court dismisses challenges against adding VAT to UK private school fees
The high court has dismissed a wave of legal challenges against adding VAT to private school fees in the UK, saying that the government's decision was a rare example of Brexit freedoms. The judges noted that adding 20% to private school fees would not have been possible under EU law, stating: 'This is therefore one respect in which the UK's exit from the EU has increased the scope of parliament's freedom to determine policy.' The addition of VAT to school fees was a Labour party manifesto commitment at the 2024 general election, and first introduced in January. Ministers said the revenue would be used in part to recruit an additional 6,500 teachers for state schools. The written ruling by Victoria Sharp, Lord Justice Guy Newey and Mr Justice Chamberlain rejected a series of claims brought by parents and schools, seeking to block the VAT addition on grounds including religious freedom, parental choice and special educational needs. For the families claiming their children required special-needs provision that was hard to obtain in state schools, the judges said their evidence 'shows not only how bad it might be for them if they had to transfer to the state sector, but also how bad it currently is for many of the 1.1 million children with [special needs] who are already being educated in that sector'. The judges found that while the legislation did interfere with some of the claimants' human rights, the government had a 'broad margin of discretion in deciding how to balance the interests of those adversely affected by the policy against the interests of others who may gain from public provision funded by the money it will raise'. Rejecting references on access to education within the European convention on human rights, the judgment said relevant parts of the convention went 'no further than the right of access to whatever educational system the state chooses to provide … and the right to establish a private school'. It continued: 'They do not include any right to require the state to facilitate one's child's access to a private school, even if the parent's reason for preferring a private school is a religious one.' Robert Lewis, the head of the education group at the Mishcon de Reya law firm, said the result was anticipated in legal circles. He said: 'From the outset, the claim faced formidable legal obstacles: it sought to overturn a fully democratically endorsed policy; one introduced in the Labour manifesto, debated in parliament, and enacted into law. 'Nonetheless, the judgment does offer a modest but meaningful silver lining for independent schools. It observes that an outright ban on independent schools would likely breach the UK's obligations under the European convention on human rights.' Julie Robinson, the chief executive of the Independent Schools Council (ISC), one of the claimants, said: 'This is an unprecedented tax on education and it was right that its compatibility with human rights law was tested. 'The ISC is carefully considering the court's judgment and next steps. Our focus remains on supporting schools, families and children. We will continue to work to ensure the government is held to account over the negative impact this tax on education is having across independent and state schools.' The Christian Legal Centre said it would support an appeal by claimants who said the tax discriminated against their right to maintain a private Christian education.
The Independent
13-06-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Private schools lose High Court battle against Starmer's VAT raid
A group of private schools, pupils and their parents have lost a High Court challenge over Labour's imposition of VAT on fees. It comes after six families last year launched a legal challenge against the government's controversial tax raid, claiming the tax raid is discriminatory against certain pupils. The legal challenge claimed the policy - which imposes 20 per cent VAT on private schools - causes unnecessary harm to certain categories of children, such as those with special needs. The families were therefore seeking a declaration of incompatibility under section 4 of the Human Rights Act, saying the new tax is incompatible with ECHR rights. While the legal challenge would not have been able to halt the VAT policy in its tracks or reverse it even if successful, it would have been a major blow to ministers and piled pressure on them to consider further exemptions. The government has estimated the tax raid will raise £1.7bn per year by 2029-30, money which ministers said would be used to fund 6,500 new teachers for state schools. So far, private school pupil numbers have fallen by more than 11,000 in England following the tax hike, Department for Education data showed. In January 2025, there were around 582,500 pupils at English private schools, down from 593,500 at the same point last year. When the policy was introduced, Treasury impact assessments estimated that private school fees would increase by around 10 per cent as a result of the introduction of VAT, But in May, ISC figures showed that fees have increased by 22.6 per cent in the last year, with parents now paying out more than £22,000 a year on average. On average, the Treasury predicts that 35,000 pupils would move into UK state schools 'in the long-term steady state'. A further 2,000 children would leave private schools, the department estimated, consisting of international pupils who do not move into the UK state system or domestic pupils who move into homeschooling.
RNZ News
26-05-2025
- Politics
- RNZ News
Learning support budget fails to deliver genuine reform: researcher
A teacher aide works with special needs students at Newmarket School in Auckland. Photo: RNZ / John Gerritsen Last week's budget contained a big boost for learning support - described as a "seismic shift" by the Minister of Education. The $747-million package will be spent on more specialist staff, teacher aide hours, support for the youngest children, and classrooms for specialist schools serving children with disabilities. However, specialist teaching roles in literacy and Maori are to be axed. The overall budget package has been welcomed by many in the sector, which has been crying out for more resourcing. The Aotearoa Educators' Collective - a grouping of education leaders and researchers - says there are positive steps, but genuine system reform is still missing. Kathryn speaks with Dr Sarah Aiono, a researcher from the AEC and CEO of Longworth Education.
South China Morning Post
23-05-2025
- South China Morning Post
Man in Singapore pleads guilty to sexually abusing cat after being caught on camera
A 20-year-old man pleaded guilty on Friday to humping a cat in Singapore after he was caught on a neighbour's closed-circuit television (CCTV) camera. Besides admitting to the charge of doing an obscene act in public, the man also pleaded guilty to one count of hurting a 19-year-old classmate with special needs and another charge of harassing him. Another count of voluntarily causing hurt and two counts of theft will be considered when he is sentenced. The man cannot be named due to a gag order on the bully victim to protect his identity. Probation and reformative training reports were called to assess the accused's suitability for both sentencing options. Probation is a community rehabilitation sentence that does not result in a criminal record, while reformative training, which includes a period of detention, results in a criminal record.
