Alternative provision: Let disrupted pupils repeat year 11, says de Souza DfE should also fund ‘graduated stepdown programme of support for all year 11 leavers’
Revealed: Secret deal to let benefit fraud squad snoop on pupil data Leaders warn the move may lead to parents ‘withdrawing their children from schools’
Unregistered AP clampdown: Everything you need to know Time limits on placements, new national standards and a council-run quality-assurance process proposed by the DfE
Revealed: Locations of 16 new special schools and trusts to run 7 more It follows the announcement of £105m capital cash at the spring budget
DfE plans ‘national standards’ for unregistered AP Ministers say unregistered provision should be ‘an intervention, not a destination’
SEND: Some safety valve councils have ‘removed’ deficits – DfE boss Permanent secretary says government is ‘seeing some really good progress from councils’
‘New generation’ of larger music hubs revealed The number of music hubs will be reduced from 116 to 43, with the organisations covering larger areas
NAHT votes to explore ‘legal and industrial routes’ to secure Ofsted reform Government ‘under notice’ that action could follow if heads don’t get ‘meaningful answers’
Schools ‘sidelined’ in favour of ‘populist talk’, warns Whiteman NAHT boss tells politicians to ‘raise your game out of the gutter of smears, misdirection, and the creation of division to simply win a vote’