Primary schools in England face call to identify children at risk of becoming NEET at 16

Primary schools in England would be required to identify children at risk of leaving education at 16 without a job, under a recommendation expected from a government review. The review, led by Alan Milburn, is examining Britain's crisis of young people not in education, employment or training — known as NEETs. The proposal would push responsibility for spotting future disengagement far earlier in a child's schooling than is currently the case. Rather than intervening in the teenage years, when pupils are already close to leaving, primary schools would be asked to flag those showing warning signs long before they reach 16. The recommendation lands amid mounting pressure on England's schools from several directions. Ministers are reportedly preparing pupil attendance targets for every school in England, according to the BBC, which understands schools would be monitored but not penalised for missing them. Meanwhile, a separate analysis has found private school grounds enjoy 41% more tree cover than state schools, with the poorest schools the barest — sharpening the debate over inequality in the education system.

Milburn review to urge primary schools to spot future NEETs

A government review into Britain's NEET crisis is set to recommend that primary schools in England be required to identify children at risk of leaving education at 16 without a job. The review is being led by Alan Milburn and covers young people not in education, employment or training.

The proposal would push the task of spotting future NEETs far earlier than current practice, placing responsibility on primary schools to flag pupils who may be on a path towards disengagement from education and work.

It is not yet known when the review will report, or when any requirement on primary schools would take effect. The detail of how schools would be expected to identify at-risk children, and what support would follow, also remains unclear ahead of the review's publication.

Private school grounds have 41% more tree cover than state schools

Private school grounds in England enjoy 41% more tree cover than those of state schools, according to an analysis of school sites. The disparity is not simply a matter of sector: the analysis also found that schools with the highest levels of free school meal eligibility — a standard measure of pupil deprivation — have fewer trees on their grounds. That pattern suggests the children least likely to have access to green space at home are also least likely to find it at school.

Neither the authors of the analysis nor the date it was carried out have been confirmed, and the figures should be read with that caveat in mind. Even so, the findings point to a divide in the physical environment of English education that runs along lines of wealth, with leafy grounds concentrated in the fee-paying sector and sparser cover where disadvantage is greatest.

Labour plan to train male role models against Tate-style misogyny

In February 2024, Labour announced a plan to help schools train young male influencers to push back against misogynist figures such as Andrew Tate. The policy, aimed at schools, would develop male role models able to reach boys who are exposed to harmful content online.

The shadow education secretary presented the scheme as a direct response to Tate-style misogyny. She described trained male role models as a powerful counterbalance to negative online influences, and said the party would help schools train them. The aim, she said, was to combat misogyny by giving boys credible voices they could relate to, rather than leaving the online space to figures promoting hostility towards women. The announcement placed schools at the centre of the effort, with the scheme designed to work through them rather than alongside them.

Ten Commandments lawsuit, heatwave closures and pressure on Welsh schools

In the United States, three mothers have filed a lawsuit seeking to block a Texas law requiring the Ten Commandments to be displayed in public school classrooms. The state's legislature passed Senate Bill 10, which mandates that every public school classroom display the commandments. The status of the legal challenge has not been confirmed.

In England, a number of schools announced closures or early finishes in response to a heatwave forecast by the Met Office. Forecasters predicted an exceptionally hot and humid spell expected to exceed the June record of 35.6C, set in Hampshire in 1976.

Elsewhere, the government has said all schools in England will be given pupil attendance targets, though the BBC understands schools would not be penalised for missing them and would instead be monitored. In Wales, falling pupil numbers are placing additional schools at risk of closure, according to reports. One decision to close a primary school was described as "atrocious", and experts have warned that a projected decline in pupil numbers across Wales could lead to further closures and mergers.

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