Plans to resurrect the children’s services decimated by austerity are appealing. But schools also need attention
Heavily trailed reforms to special educational needs and disabilities (Send) education dominated coverage of last week’s schools white paper. But Bridget Phillipson’s policy of in-sourcing special provision, creating a new tier of support and making mainstream settings more inclusive, is the centrepiece of a broader agenda that also requires scrutiny.
All schools in future will have to join multi-academy trusts, including a new kind of trust established by councils. Ministers have also promised a drastic shrinking of the attainment gap between richer and poorer pupils, and new projects in north-east England and coastal areas aimed at raising standards. The way that £8bn in disadvantage funding is targeted is also being changed. Other measures include financial incentives for heads in challenging schools, stronger oversight of academy trusts and a clear signal of openness to flexible working arrangements.
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