We have finally received the draft/ for information version of Keeping Children Safe in Education 2026. It is deeply frustrating that it has been issued so late in the school year and then accompanied by a rush of other guidance including statutory guidance on allergies, attendance, mobile phones and regulated activities. This feels both chaotic and disrespectful of teachers’ time and right to a school holiday. However, the good (and bad) news is that the draft version of KCSIE largely...

When the government released the update of Working Together to Safeguard Children (WTSC), I and I suspect many others felt a sense of overwhelm- not another piece of guidance. But we need to remember that WTSC does not just impact schools, but all those involved in safeguarding children. Even so it does raise questions why WTSC 2026 was released now before the final passage into law of either the Crime and Policing Bill or the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill. Both of which will lead to...

The SEND Consultation and the related White Paper are currently proposals about proposals: It is far from perfect and the devil will be in the detail. However, I am cautiously optimistic. This is more than a rearrangement of the deck chairs on the Titanic. It is a document with scope and ambition which recognises that reform of education, including SEND, is a long term project. It views SEND as part of a wider approach to education, not something that can be ‘fixed’ with some tinkering at the...