Authors

John Roberts drawing
John Roberts

John Roberts is SEND and inclusion editor at Tes magazine

All articles by John Roberts
Lack of space in schools could halt inclusion drive, DfE warned
The government’s SEND plans involve thousands of pupils being taught in new ‘inclusion bases’ - but many school sites don’t have space to create them, say leaders
General
13 March 2026
A lack of space in school buildings could hamper a drive to create more inclusion bases, leaders warn.
Deliver on SEND or lose services, ministers warn councils
SEND reform plans are needed by June – and government will withdraw services from failing authorities, local officers have been warned
Specialist Sector
12 March 2026
Councils have been sent a hard-hitting letter on SEND reforms
Ofsted rejects 1 in 5 inspection deferral requests
Watchdog figures show 621 school inspections were deferred in 2024-25 and a further 37 were paused
General
6 March 2026
Ofsted has approval all pause requests but rejected one in five deferral requests from schools.
1 in 5 school support staff thinking of leaving sector
Dissatisfaction with pay is the most common reason why support staff are considering walking away, according to evidence submitted to new pay award body
General
27 February 2026
More than 1 in 5 support staff are considering leaving sector, research shows.
SEND reform plans ‘risk overwhelming Sendcos’
Experts voice fears about the proposed new duty on schools to produce a statutory support plan for every pupil with SEND
General
27 February 2026
The government SEND reforms have prompted workload warnings.
The SEND reforms are out - now the real tests begin
The government has finally announced its plans for special educational needs provision. Tes’ SEND and inclusion editor John Roberts assesses the challenges to come
Specialist Sector
25 February 2026
The government's SEND reforms are out. The Tes SEND and inclusion editor John Roberts assesses their prospects.