An investigation by the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has found Cheshire West and Chester Council at fault for a series of delays leading to a boy with special educational needs (SEN) missing out on education for 12 months.

Leeds City Council has said it will not issue a statutory notice to close a primary school in Yeadon at the end of the academic year, after being sent a letter before action claiming that there were “significant flaws” in the local authority’s consultation process.

The new President of the Association of Directors of Children’s Services (ADCS), Rachael Wardell, has warned that any SEND reform programme must deliver an inclusive education system, with education in mainstream provision as “the presumption”.

Three linked claims challenging decisions by Devon County Council and Bristol City Council to enter so-called “safety valve” agreements (SVAs) with the Department of Education over their Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) deficits have been dismissed by the High Court.

Kent County Council has confirmed that it will “rethink” the redesignation of special schools as part of its new inclusion strategy, following the threat of legal action.

Capital City College, the largest further education provider in London, has appointed Eversheds Sutherland to a £1.8m contract to provide legal services.

Durham Council has agreed to name a residential school identified as suitable for meeting a child’s complex special educational needs after initially refusing to do so, following the issuing of legal proceedings in the Administrative Court.

An investigation by the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has found Walsall Metropolitan Borough Council at fault for failing to provide a child with suitable education for a whole year, and taking too long to issue an education, health and care (EHC) plan.

Cornwall Council is reviewing its decision to close the residential provision at a school for children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), following a legal challenge.

The High Court has dismissed a judicial review application brought on behalf of a young person with complex needs over the lawfulness of an Education, Health and Care (EHC) Plan issued by the London Borough of Islington, after finding that the First-tier Tribunal is a “suitable alternative remedy”.

The Hertfordshire Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) has asked for an “explanation” from the Chief Constable of Hertfordshire Constabulary, after a couple were arrested over complaints they made about their child's primary school, which included comments in a parents' WhatsApp group.

A settlement has been reached and a final order made by the High Court in judicial review proceedings taken against the Council of the Isles of Scilly, in relation to its decision to limit the increase in grant funding to a total of £8,000 for post-16 transport and accommodation, to enable children of sixth form age to remain in education or training.

The Divisional Court has rejected an appeal by the owner of a company that contracted with local authorities to provide transport services for children with special educational needs against his conviction on four charges of being the operator of a private hire vehicle (PHV) when a PHV licence was not in force, and two charges of being the operator of a PHV when the driver was not the holder of a…

GMB Union has launched legal proceedings on behalf of around 400 women working as school support staff at Barnet Council, in what the union says is the first local authority equal pay claim launched in London.

Teachers who have been affected by “major delays” in getting their pensions valued are threatening legal action against the Government and pension provider, Capita Pension Solutions.

A survey by children’s charity Coram has highlighted gaps in childcare availability for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), with only 29% of local authorities in England reporting having enough childcare for at least 75% of children with SEND in their area.

The County Councils Network (CCN) has today (21 March) claimed that there are just 12 months to avoid a “financial catastrophe” for English local authorities, with almost £6bn in special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) deficits set to be placed on their balance sheets in March 2026.

The Upper Tribunal has in part allowed a council’s appeal against a decision by the Education Tribunal for Wales in relation to the naming of a school in a child’s Individual Development Plan, in the first case to have been brought under the new 2018 Act regime for Additional Learning Provision in Wales.

The High Court has allowed an appeal brought by a single mother in relation to her son’s package of home-to-school transport, finding that a city council’s decision to withdraw the support was “irrational”.

The Welsh Government has asked that certain provisions within the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, including those in relation to children in secure accommodation and children not in school, be applied to Wales in the same way as England.

Schools inspection body Ofsted was wrong to sack an inspector who wiped water off a pupil’s head, the Court of Appeal has found.

A report by the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) has found that absence and suspensions in schools are two thirds higher than pre-pandemic, and that the most vulnerable and disadvantaged children are impacted the most.

Become, a charity for children in care and young care leavers, has welcomed the Government’s proposed amendment to the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill to expand corporate parenting responsibilities to a wider set of organisations, while noting it could go further to improve the “scaffolding of support” around care-experienced young people.

The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO) has highlighted “systemic SEND issues” at Rochdale Council, after finding the authority had a backlog of nearly 1,500 support plans to review for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

The Independent Provider of Special Education Advice (IPSEA) has warned that resolving the SEND crisis lies in finding a way to ensure that children and young people receive the provision and support the law says they should have, not in changing the law.

The Court of Appeal has dismissed an appeal brought on behalf of a 15-year-old boy, rejecting the submission that the decision to permanently exclude him from school was unlawful because the headteacher “failed to comply with the public sector equality duty (PSED)”.

The Upper Tribunal has allowed a mother’s appeal concerning the Education Health and Care (EHC) Plans of her two children, after finding a “procedural irregularity” in respect of pagination issues in the court bundle.

A report by school leaders’ union NAHT has revealed that more than four in five (82%) school leaders say they have been abused by parents in the past year, leaving some considering “quitting the profession they love”.

The Court of Appeal has unanimously dismissed a former teacher’s appeal against a finding by the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) that he had developed an “inappropriate relationship” with a pupil - and therefore would be precluded from being a teacher - despite a separate TRA disciplinary panel finding he was not guilty of professional misconduct.

An investigation by the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has found fault by Slough Borough Council in failing to secure all the special educational provision on a child’s Education, Health and Care Plan over a 10-month period.