Vanessa Clarke

1 day ago | bbc.com | Chloe Aslett |Vanessa Clarke

Free breakfast club trial 'will make life easier'Chloe Aslett & Vanessa ClarkeVanessa Clarke/BBCYear three pupils Zara and Georgie say they are "breakfast club fans"Parents and teachers at a Sheffield primary school have welcomed the beginning of a scheme offering government-funded breakfast clubs. High Green Primary School is one of 750 schools in England taking part in a pilot allowing parents to access half an hour of free childcare each morning.

3 days ago | bbc.com | Vanessa Clarke

Britain's nursery problem: Parents still face 'childcare deserts'Vanessa ClarkeBBC"We have the one of the most expensive systems in the world… today I want to reform our childcare system". These words, spoken by the then-chancellor Jeremy Hunt in the 2023 Spring Budget, were a beacon of hope for thousands of parents paying an average of almost £15,000 a year to nurseries and childminders.

3 weeks ago | bbc.com | Vanessa Clarke

Private school parents must pay 'fair share', court toldVanessa ClarkeReporting fromRoyal Courts of JusticeBBCThe government has defended its policy of adding value added tax (VAT) to private school fees, telling the High Court it enhances "the fairness of the tax system overall".

3 weeks ago | bbc.com | Vanessa Clarke

Private school VAT 'discriminatory', court hearsVanessa clarkeReporting fromRoyal Courts of JusticeBBCThe government's policy of adding VAT to private school fees will "interfere with the fundamental right to education", the High Court has heard. In front of a packed court room, with headteachers and students in school uniforms listening from the public gallery, Lord David Pannick KC, argued the policy is discriminatory.

4 weeks ago | bbc.com | Vanessa Clarke

Special needs schools way over capacity in EnglandVanessa ClarkeGetty ImagesThere were 8,000 more secondary school pupils in special schools in England than places available for them last year, according to Department for Education (Dfe) figures - a rise of 25% in 12 months. About two-thirds of these schools were at or over capacity in 2023-2024, despite the number of special school places rising by 5,000.