#send

#send

The government has said it will spend 5bn to pay off 90% of the debts English councils have built up through supporting children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) to the end of the financial year. The LGA, which represents councils in England, welcomed the plans, saying it "removes the immediate threat of insolvency for many councils". The government is expected to lay out their full plans for SEND reform in the Schools White Paper in the coming weeks.

But as schoolage audiences of Matilda the Musical or the Harry Potter films can testify, UK classrooms usually have more children in them than fictional ones. What these young people probably do not know is that their classrooms are also fuller than many real ones abroad. A report from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development found that the UK has some of the largest primary groups in the industrialised world.

Artificial intelligence (AI) played a significant role in the tech skills landscape in 2025, from helping teachers do their jobs to becoming a vital skill for people to learn. On the other hand, hiring across the technology sector was less predictable, with fewer jobs advertised, though having the right skills was found to increase job security. Skills will continue to be important going forward, regardless of where AI takes the sector.