Education

Arts education is not an add-on for SEND education. It is the missing piece
Lizzie Kitto

Arts education is not an add-on for SEND education. It is the missing piece

A pilot project in Barking and Dagenham is proving the importance of arts education for children and young people with special educational needs

Letters: Education is on its knees. The government must take radical action to save it
Letters

Letters: Education is on its knees. The government must take radical action to save it

An anonymous teacher responds to the education secretary’s recent opinion piece, written for Big Issue

‘I have not been to school since I was 13. The system is failing kids with special education needs’
Katie Nellist

‘I have not been to school since I was 13. The system is failing kids with special education needs’

Katie Nellist is a young autistic woman who missed out on most of her secondary school education because of a lack of special education support. As the government consults on reforms to the system, Nellist writes about what must change

Letters: People need to know their rights – why aren’t they taught in the school curriculum?
Letters

Letters: People need to know their rights – why aren’t they taught in the school curriculum?

Big Issue is heading into schools to inspire the next generation to dismantle poverty
Education

Big Issue is heading into schools to inspire the next generation to dismantle poverty

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Prince William is changing how homelessness is being taught in schools
Homelessness

Prince William is changing how homelessness is being taught in schools

Our kid-friendly version of the child poverty strategy teaches all children empathy and compassion
Bridget Phillipson

Our kid-friendly version of the child poverty strategy teaches all children empathy and compassion

There’s a blind spot with the SEND reforms which could push more families into poverty
Lisa Mainwaring

There’s a blind spot with the SEND reforms which could push more families into poverty

Labour’s SEND reforms will live or die in classrooms. Families know what works
Diane Johnson

Labour’s SEND reforms will live or die in classrooms. Families know what works

I’m worried that even more disabled children could get lost within the SEND system after reforms
SEND

I’m worried that even more disabled children could get lost within the SEND system after reforms

What will the SEND reforms mean for families and their disabled children?
SEND

What will the SEND reforms mean for families and their disabled children?

It was a traumatic, hellish fight trying to get SEND support for my daughter
SEND

It was a traumatic, hellish fight trying to get SEND support for my daughter

Meet the dads who started a podcast about their experiences raising autistic children
SEND

Meet the dads who started a podcast about their experiences raising autistic children

My children were out of school for more than a year as we fought to get them SEND support
SEND

My children were out of school for more than a year as we fought to get them SEND support

Mainstream school was right for my daughter. SEND changes could cause more harm than good
SEND

Mainstream school was right for my daughter. SEND changes could cause more harm than good

My son is deaf and blind – but it was months of fighting before he got SEND support
SEND

My son is deaf and blind – but it was months of fighting before he got SEND support

Families face a bitter fight for SEND support in the UK: ‘It nearly killed us emotionally and financially’
SEND

Families face a bitter fight for SEND support in the UK: ‘It nearly killed us emotionally and financially’

Domestic abuse is getting worse. Education alone isn’t enough to stop it
Laura McCarthy

Domestic abuse is getting worse. Education alone isn’t enough to stop it

Big Issue’s 100 Changemakers of 2026: Learning and employment
Changemakers 2026

Big Issue’s 100 Changemakers of 2026: Learning and employment

They warned free school meals would hurt school budgets. Something much more interesting happened
Free school meals

They warned free school meals would hurt school budgets. Something much more interesting happened

‘I’m happy to pay for uni, but I’ll never clear my debt’: Graduates hit out at student loans crisis
Student debt

‘I’m happy to pay for uni, but I’ll never clear my debt’: Graduates hit out at student loans crisis

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How did Rachel Reeves do in her first autumn budget? We ask people on the frontlines, one year on
autumn budget

How did Rachel Reeves do in her first autumn budget? We ask people on the frontlines, one year on

Teen scholar trapped in Gaza after being blocked by Home Office from joining her mum in UK
Gaza

Teen scholar trapped in Gaza after being blocked by Home Office from joining her mum in UK

Letters: I’d be happy to pay a bit more tax if it fixed the country
Letters

Letters: I’d be happy to pay a bit more tax if it fixed the country

Gaza’s children need more than a ceasefire. We need to give them hope for a safe future
Helen Pattinson

Gaza’s children need more than a ceasefire. We need to give them hope for a safe future