Authors

John Roberts drawing
John Roberts

John Roberts is SEND and inclusion editor at Tes magazine

All articles by John Roberts
Reform deputy says pupils wearing ear defenders in class is ‘insane’
Reform’s deputy leader claims there is ‘over-diagnosis’ of neurodiverse conditions, appearing at an event where a former Ofsted chief says dyslexia just means ‘bad at reading’
General
17 November 2025
Richard Tice and Baroness Spielman have raised concerns about the SEND system.
Pupil absence remains ‘stubbornly high’ this year
Analysis of 2025-26 attendance rates so far shows absence levels remain similar to figures from the same time last year
General
13 November 2025
There is no sign of change in school attendance levels , according to new FFT Education Datalab analysis.
Some primaries have ‘six times’ more pupils with SEND
Uneven spread of pupils with special educational needs and disabilities puts ‘significant pressure’ on inclusive schools, warns report
General
13 November 2025
Research has found a major disparity in the numbers of pupils with SEND in different schools.
SEND register decisions are a ‘mystery’, warn experts
Lack of guidance on using the SEND register leaves schools under- and over-recording pupils as needing support for special educational needs and disabilities, say leaders
General
13 November 2025
Road sign with question mark
Phillipson urged to outline how DfE will ‘co-create’ SEND reforms
Education committee chair Helen Hayes asks education secretary for ‘specific’ steps being taken to involve schools and parents in plans as ‘equal participants’
General
12 November 2025
The DfE has been urged to set out how it will "co-create" its plans for SEND reform, by Helen Hayes.
Government ‘will struggle to fix SEND crisis by 2029’
The government’s approach to SEND reform is ‘disjointed’ and its ambitions will be restricted by the budget it has set for this parliament, new analysis warns
Specialist Sector
6 November 2025
The government has been warned that it will struggle to fix the SEND crisis.