Getty Images Ofsted’s new report card grading system has come into effect for schools in England, after the inspectorate scrapped its old one or two-word judgements. Ofsted says the updated system will give parents better detail about schools, and the government says it will help raise standards for children. But …

Louise Parry and Kate Bradbrook,in Irthlingborough Kate Bradbrook/BBC Huxlow Academy said police called and asked the school to go into lockdown as the bell rang on Friday Three people have been arrested after a school was forced into an emergency lockdown. Police were called to Irthlingborough, Northamptonshire, after a sighting …

Stuart Woodward and Matt Knight,Essex Stuart Woodward/BBC Jayne Crowley said pupils had “really struggled” with how the Raac crisis had affected their schooling One of the first schools in England identified as having crumbling concrete says it is on the road to recovery, after its pupil numbers dropped by more …

BBC Linzi and Courtney say they have fought to get the support their sons need Lincolnshire’s special schools are full to capacity, despite a council saying it has invested more than £100m in expanding them. BBC reporter Jessica Lane meets two mums who say young children with additional needs are …

Aimee Dexter and Simon Dedman,in West Thurrock Simon Dedman/BBC Georgia Gould says “too many families” feel like they have to “fight” for support A senior minister has said there needs to be more investment for special educational needs provision, teacher training, mainstream provision and inclusion. Education Minister Georgia Gould was …

Teaching and research staff at Lancaster University begun a period of industrial action amid the threat of job losses. Members of the University and College Union (UCU) are unhappy about the threat of compulsory redundancies, as the university seeks to cut 400 full-time posts as part of efforts to save …

Nadia LincolnLocal Democracy reporter Google Michelle Stant worked at Friars Academy, part of the Better Together Learning Trust A teacher has been banned from the profession indefinitely after she admitted drinking on the job and crashing her car into a school entrance gate. Michelle Stant, 51, was discovered with a …

Chloe Harcombe,West of England and Alice Bouverie,West of England Steve Brice School support staff gathered outside St Werburgh’s Primary School earlier A dozen schools are facing disruption as support staff walk out in a dispute over pay. Employees at 12 schools managed by the Cathedral Schools Trust across Bristol and …

All modern language and music courses are being suspended for new students at the University of Nottingham. In an announcement on Thursday the institution also said it was “proposing to reduce its nursing offer”, but said it remains “committed to training doctors, nurses, midwives and healthcare professionals”. Any students currently …

A new university specialising in dentistry is one of the projects being considered as part of a town’s regeneration. Dorset Council said its cabinet was set to work with partners on a number of ideas aimed at turning Weymouth into a “thriving coastal destination”. The council said a new Allied …

A 14-year-old British boy who took his parents to court after they sent him to boarding school in Africa must remain there until at least the end of his GCSEs, a High Court judge has ruled. The boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was taken to Ghana in …

Vanessa ClarkeEducation reporter Getty Images A head teachers’ union will consult its members on strike action after it lost a bid to challenge Ofsted’s new inspection plans in court. The National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) claimed the watchdog failed to adequately consult on its colour-coded report card system, which …

Stephen StaffordSouth of England BBC Pairs of shoes have been left outside council offices across the country Parents have laid shoes outside council offices as part of a protest about “failed or forgotten” children with special educational needs and disabilities (Send). The Every Pair Tells a Story event is the …

Helen RichardsonNorth East and Cumbria political reporter BBC Amelia Joicey decided to switch from a career in libraries and museums The North East has seen the biggest percentage fall in trainee teachers in England, with numbers down by 56% over the past five years. But, according to government data, the …

Laura CoffeyNorthamptonshire political reporter, Earls Barton and Duston Getty Images A campaign group has called on parents not to give children smartphones before their 14th birthday As a council considers whether guidance should be issued to schools about smartphone use, what do students from primary and secondary schools in Northamptonshire …

Getty Images Symptoms can include fever, headache and rapid breathing The UK Health and Security Agency (UKHSA) has said it is “monitoring the situation closely” after two students at the University of Brighton were taken to hospital with meningitis. The government agency said people should be alert to the symptoms …

Simon DedmanEssex political reporter PA Media Seventy schools in Essex had to close or at least shut part of their buildings due to Raac The government has pledged to remove a concrete that is deemed unsafe from all affected schools in England “by the end of this Parliament” in 2029. …

Louise BrierleyChipping Campden BBC Army veteran Sam Coton said he drew on his experiences as a soldier to help students An Army veteran who launched a coaching programme to improve young people’s mental health said he hoped his work could end up helping every child in England Sam Coton, from …

BBC Natalie Elliott says the current absence process is “not fit for purpose” The government will not allow pupils to miss 10 days of school without good reason, a minister has said in response to a mother’s petition to remove school absence fines. On Monday, MPs debated a petition launched …

A teacher, found to have asked a former pupil to bring her school uniform to a hotel before having sex with her, has been banned from the profession for life. Benjamin Hiscox, 34, was teaching at South Nottinghamshire Academy, in Radcliffe on Trent, Nottinghamshire, when an investigation was launched into …