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* Inclusion is at the centre of the DfE’s plans for education published this week. Schools will be expected to publish an annual inclusion strategy as well as being measured against a new inclusion accountability measure. A very significant part of this is about special needs but also attendance (still not improving), enrichment, parental engagement and a particular focus on the needs of white working class students as one of the lowest attaining groups in English schools. At the same time the government is considering offering extra money for headteachers to work in areas of high deprivation in the North East of England and coastal areas with two initiatives modelled on the London Challenge which revolutionised outcomes for students in the capital 20 years ago. The challenge in all this will be, as usual, whether the greater demands are also matched by greater funding. Resources are promised but there is not much information about how much or which schools will receive it.

* £3.4bn extra will be spent on special needs. Special needs however will be receiving a very significant increase in funding along with changes to the system. Again, the emphasis is on inclusion with the system focused on students, wherever possible, remaining in mainstream schools. Support will be will be divided into three tiers;

* Targeted - students will receive support in mainstream classrooms

* Targeted Plus - students will be educated in mainstream schools with an Individual Support Plan and receive additional external support

* Specialist - students will have an EHCP supported by mainstream and / or specialist schools according to need.

Schools will receive an average of £26,000 per school to support inclusion as well as access to an average of 160 days per year of local expertise in areas like speech and language. A significant emphasis will also be placed on staff training.

* One third of graduates are now working in non graduate jobs. According to Alex Atherton, graduates are increasingly likely to go into trades like plumbing whilst school leavers are increasingly likely to look for apprenticeships rather than going to university. Reasons include;

* the cost of studying

* student debt

* a lack of graduate jobs

* AI taking entry level jobs

* the greater security of jobs, like plumbing, which can only be done by a human being

So if you are talking to students about their futures it might be worth mentioning these options. Alternatively, they might consider teaching as another profession offering greater security from the threat of AI.

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