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Children's News Feed

Automatically curated from DfE announcements, education news, and sector updates.

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Reform UK overseas worker levy 'would damage schools and social care'
Schools Jul 27, 2026

Reform UK overseas worker levy 'would damage schools and social care'

Experts warn that Reform UK's proposed 'migrant worker surcharge' would exacerbate staff shortages in schools and children's social care, whilst pushing universities into financial difficulty. The policy would require employers to pay higher national insurance contributions for all non-UK passport holders except those with Irish passports.

Care-Experienced Young People Invited to Shape Social Care Inspections
Social Care Jul 24, 2026

Care-Experienced Young People Invited to Shape Social Care Inspections

The Children's Commissioner is recruiting care-experienced young people aged 16-18 to participate in a two-day project in London this summer. The initiative aims to give those with lived experience of the care system a direct voice in shaping how children's social care services are inspected.

Managing Unauthorised Leave: Guidance for Service Leaders
Social Care Jul 1, 2026

Managing Unauthorised Leave: Guidance for Service Leaders

Unauthorised holiday bookings present a significant challenge for managers across children's services and education settings. This practical guidance explores the steps leaders should take when staff book leave without prior approval, ensuring fair and consistent application of workforce policies whilst maintaining statutory service delivery.

Children’s Commissioner Demands Transparency on Asylum Support Withdrawal Plans
Safeguarding Jun 24, 2026

Children’s Commissioner Demands Transparency on Asylum Support Withdrawal Plans

The Children's Commissioner for England has issued a stark warning to the Home Secretary regarding proposals to withdraw support from failed asylum-seeking families. Dame Rachel de Souza argues that plans to forcibly remove families—including those with children receiving medical treatment—would cause significant harm and has demanded the release of affected children's data.

The Big Future: Speaking to children in Nottingham and Leicester
Social Care Jun 12, 2026

The Big Future: Speaking to children in Nottingham and Leicester

I wrote last week about why we should listen to children. This week, I have found myself thinking about what it means to give children a voice.  Sometimes, this is cultural. As I stood outside Nottingham University with my team, our conversation turned from the session with educational psychologists...

The Big Future: Speaking to children in Birmingham
Social Care Jun 5, 2026

The Big Future: Speaking to children in Birmingham

I have been thinking about politics a great deal as I travel the length of England promoting my survey of children The Big Future.   I don’t mean what happens in Westminster, or what dominates the news. I mean the messy and beautiful business of how we go about deciding how we live togethe...

Guest Blog: Ensuring ‘Every Moment Matters’ for babies, children and young people with life-threatening and life-shortening conditions, and their families – Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice  
Social Care Jun 4, 2026

Guest Blog: Ensuring ‘Every Moment Matters’ for babies, children and young people with life-threatening and life-shortening conditions, and their families – Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice  

Today’s guest blog comes from Sophie Andrews OBE, the CEO of Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice. Sophie has worked in the charity sector for 30 years and has operated in both National Chair and CEO roles. She was awarded an OBE in the 2018 New Year’s Honours list. She is a publis...

Concerns grow over hair strand test reliability in Family Court child protection cases
Safeguarding May 26, 2026

Concerns grow over hair strand test reliability in Family Court child protection cases

Experts are raising alarms over the interpretation of hair strand testing in Family Court proceedings, highlighting cases where parents risk losing access to their children based on potentially flawed evidence. The concerns centre on whether current testing methods and their analysis adequately account for contextual factors that could affect results.

Walk to School Week: What do children say about walking to school? 
Social Care May 22, 2026

Walk to School Week: What do children say about walking to school? 

I launched my biggest and final survey of England’s children: The Big Future by going for a walk with some brilliant young people. I travelled to Cumbria, the first leg on a journey that will take me all over the country. I hiked with Scouts along Hadrian’s Wall, who told me about their lives a...