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58 headlines found — Page 3 of 5

The Guardian Politics2 Apr 2026

NEU leader says schools ‘running on empty’ as he challenges Labour on education record

Daniel Kebede tells delegates, government’s education policies fall short as he signals growing support for Greens’ among teachers The leader of the UK’s biggest education union has torn into the government’s record on schools, accusing Labour of letting down the nation’s children and failing to deliver on its promises for education. Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the National Education Union, was unsparing in his criticism of education secretary Bridget Phillipson’s policies in a speech to

EducationEnvironment
The Guardian Politics2 Apr 2026

Pupils in England are losing their thinking skills because of AI, survey suggests

Two-thirds of secondary school teachers report a decline in core abilities such as writing and problem-solving Pupils using artificial intelligence are losing their capacity for critical thinking, according to a survey of secondary school teachers in England. Two-thirds said they had observed the decline among children who they also said no longer felt the need to spell because of voice-to-text technology. Continue reading...

Education
The Guardian Politics2 Apr 2026

Teachers made ill by rats and hit by toaster receive share of £15m payout

Details about compensation for personal injury awarded to UK school staff revealed by NASUWT A teacher who became ill from a rat infestation and another who was injured after a pupil threw a toaster and chair are among UK school staff who received a share of £15m paid out in compensation. The details were revealed by the NASUWT union ahead of its annual conference in Birmingham later this week, and relate to successful claims for unfair dismissal, redundancy, discrimination, personal injury and

DefenceEducation
The Guardian Politics31 Mar 2026

Starmer’s immigration rhetoric follows familiar pattern of bold claims but few results, expert says

Madeleine Sumption says politicians make big claims about things they only partially control to appeal to voters Keir Starmer’s pledge to “smash the gangs” profiting from small boat crossings has followed a pattern set by Conservative-led governments of employing “bullish rhetoric” with little evidence that it can be delivered, an expert has claimed. Madeleine Sumption, the director of the University of Oxford’s Migration Observatory, says the prime minister has repeated the mistakes of Rishi Su

ImmigrationEducation
The Guardian Politics29 Mar 2026

NHS restructure is greatest danger to Streeting’s effort to revive service

Health secretary still confident of success but critics say scrapping of NHS England has been ‘a total car crash’ NHS to miss targets for cutting A&E wait times and performance in England In the Great Hall at the University of East London last Wednesday, the perennially upbeat Wes Streeting was exuding even greater positivity than usual. After years of neglect under the Conservatives, he said, the NHS was starting to revive thanks to Labour’s medicine. In a bravura performance in front of an a

EducationHealthcare
The Guardian Politics29 Mar 2026

Keir Starmer says UK will ‘have to act’ to curb addictive features of social media

In his strongest intervention yet, PM says some features ‘shouldn’t be permitted’, while education secretary says things ‘are going to change’ Keir Starmer has backed banning addictive social media features in his strongest intervention yet on curbs that could be placed on tech companies, saying the features “shouldn’t be permitted”. The prime minister said the government was “going to have to act” on the algorithms that hook young people and children to social media, such as scrolling or “strea

Education
The Guardian Politics29 Mar 2026

Lack of specialist staff hinders support for Send children, teacher survey finds

National Education Union poll finds 89% feel class sizes in England are too big to be ‘properly inclusive’ Oversized classes and inadequate staffing levels are hindering teachers’ capacity to support children with special educational needs and disabilities (Send), according to a large survey of state school teachers in England. Nine out of 10 (89%) of the 10,000 teachers who took part in the poll by the National Education Union (NEU), before its annual conference in Brighton which starts on Mond

Education
The Guardian Politics27 Mar 2026

UK government must urgently apologise for forced adoption, MPs say

Ministers urged to work with survivor groups on formal apology as many victims are nearing end of their lives The UK government must urgently issue a formal apology for the state’s role in forced adoption as many victims are nearing the end of their lives, a cross-party group of MPs has said. A report from the education select committee said ministers should provide an initial commitment to an apology and begin working with survivor groups as quickly as possible on its wording. Continue reading

PoliticsEducation
The Guardian Politics26 Mar 2026

Parents of Send pupils without EHCPs are least satisfied with schools, survey in England finds

Only 38% of parents without care plans felt teachers in mainstream schools had the tools to deal with special needs Parents of children with special needs in England feel alienated from their schools if they don’t have legal protection, according to the biggest representative survey of its kind. In a finding that will cause consternation among government ministers, the survey of parents found that those of children with special educational needs and disabilities (Send) but no education, health a

EducationHousing
The Guardian Politics24 Mar 2026

Councils in England must outline Send plans to access £860m funding pot

First tranche of a £3bn fund aimed at creating 50,000 new Send places in mainstream schools part of changes announced last month Councils in England will have to set out plans to create more places in local mainstream schools for children with special educational needs and disabilities as a condition of receiving a share of £860m in new government funding. Authorities must submit their written plans to the Department for Education (DfE) outlining how they will enable more pupils with Send to att

Education
The Guardian Politics23 Mar 2026

Six students challenge Home Office visa ban on four countries

Sudanese and Afghan students with offers to study in UK say government’s ‘emergency brake’ is discriminatory The women banned from studying in Britain Six students from Sudan and Afghanistan have accused the home secretary of racial discrimination and launched legal action to try to overturn a ban on them taking up university places in the UK. The students – five from Sudan and one from Afghanistan – have undergraduate degrees in medicine and science-based subjects and received offers from uni

ImmigrationDefenceEducation
The Guardian Politics20 Mar 2026

It’s always been a fight to get children the early years care they deserve. It’s time to fight again | Polly Toynbee

Labour recognises how crucial education is at the start of life, but still the poorest children are missing out The news is very good (mostly). The cost of full-time childcare in England for children under the age of two has dropped by a phenomenal 39% since last year, thanks to government funding. This stat, from the 25th annual survey of nurseries by the children’s charity Coram, provides a good opportunity to stop and consider how far the country has come in that quarter-century. In 1995, the

Education