Tuesday
Target for half of school leavers to go to university is scrapped
The prime minister says he no longer believes in the target set by his predecessor Tony Blair – and instead announces a plan to promote ‘higher-level skills’
Call for heads’ SEND qualification is questioned
MP defends plan to require new school leaders to have expertise in special educational needs, during Labour conference event
Legal requirement sought for library in every Scottish secondary
The number of school libraries in Scotland has ‘drastically reduced’ over past decade, warns Scottish Book Trust
Schools must have single-sex toilets, says Scottish government
Updated guidance for Scottish schools follows two landmark court rulings relating to single-sex spaces
Does the government primary school library promise add up?
Labour has announced that every primary school will have its own library by 2029, but questions about funding and implementation remain, finds Ellen Peirson-Hagger
Monday
‘Support not sanctions’ will help schools tackle absence, DfE told
Schools need to be able to pay for attendance teams without ‘starving the classroom’, MAT leader warns
Reeves pledges library in every English primary school
Chancellor’s promise to create libraries in 1,700 primaries has been welcomed by teaching unions, but questions have been raised over difficulties in finding space and staff
Sunday
PM claim of SEND reform invitation is rejected by opponents
Conservatives and Liberal Democrats reject Sir Keir Starmer’s insistence that he invited political parties to collaborate on SEND reform
Phillipson pushes back at criticism over Year 8 reading tests
Education secretary stops short of confirming plans for mandatory reading test in Year 8, but defends the testing of students’ literacy skills
