The cost of supporting children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) is set to continue rising for much of the decade, despite a sweeping overhaul of the system unveiled in the government’s long-awaited schools white paper.

Ministers have confirmed that education, health and care plans (EHCPs), the legally binding documents that guarantee tailored support, will gradually be scaled back for many pupils as a new system of specialist provision is introduced. However, while the reforms are phased in, the number of EHCPs is expected to keep climbing.

EHCP numbers have doubled over the past ten years, pushing annual SEND spending to around £12bn. Government forecasts suggest that by 2029–30 more than 8 per cent of children could hold an EHCP before numbers begin to decline. After that point, the total is projected to fall by around 270,000, returning to roughly today’s level of 640,000. Officials expect spending to stabilise at current levels by 2035, though they have cautioned that longer-term projections remain uncertain.

Bridget Phillipson said the reforms are designed to reduce the adversarial nature of the current system, which often sees families locked in lengthy disputes with local authorities. While the government initially appeared to signal that EHCPs might be scrapped entirely, ministers have now clarified that families will still be able to request them, particularly for children with the most complex needs. However, mediation will replace tribunal proceedings in most cases where support levels are contested.

Under the new framework, schools will be legally required to publish inclusion strategies setting out how they will support SEND pupils and will be assessed on their performance by Ofsted. By the end of the decade, children with additional needs are expected to receive individual support plans, described as a digital “passport”, intended to reduce reliance on formal EHCP applications.

The revised model will introduce three layers of additional support on top of a universal offer available to all SEND pupils. Most children will remain in mainstream schools, receiving either targeted classroom support or additional professional input such as speech and language therapy. Only those with the most complex needs will be directed towards specialist placements, with EHCPs retained primarily for this group.

The reforms will cost £4bn overall, including £1.6bn allocated to help mainstream schools strengthen provision. Yet the Department for Education has acknowledged that EHCP numbers may not fall below their current level and that rising demand could continue to place strain on local authority budgets.

Alongside changes to SEND provision, the white paper proposes tighter oversight of private specialist schools, including the possibility of capping fees and restricting expansion where deemed unnecessary. Ministers have criticised what they describe as excessive charges and have raised concerns about private equity involvement in the sector.

The paper also reiterates the government’s ambition for all schools to join or form multi-academy trusts, while warning against excessive executive pay and calling for clearer expectations between families and schools.

A three-month public consultation on the proposals is now under way. While ministers argue the overhaul will ease pressure on families and improve early intervention, critics warn that without deeper structural reform to assessment thresholds and accountability, rising demand may continue to drive costs higher before any savings materialise.

Jamie Young

Jamie is Senior Reporter at Business Matters, bringing over a decade of experience in UK SME business reporting.
Jamie holds a degree in Business Administration and regularly participates in industry conferences and workshops.

When not reporting on the latest business developments, Jamie is passionate about mentoring up-and-coming journalists and entrepreneurs to inspire the next generation of business leaders.

Behind Florida’s fine sand beaches and bright green palm trees, a roaring and thriving economy isn’t just running on sunshine; it’s a direct result of a “secret sauce” that combines aggressive private-sector growth with a stark fiscal contrast to the policies of high-tax, Democratic-led states.

While hubs like New York and California descend into what Florida Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Mark Wilson calls a “death spiral,” the Sunshine State is officially open for business as a global superpower. With more than $4 million in wealth flowing across its borders every single hour, Florida has leapfrogged Spain to become the 15th-largest economy in the world — and Wilson says the state is just getting started.

“Part of the secret sauce in Florida is that we’re all on the same page,” Wilson told Fox News Digital. “The business community, our elected leaders, we understand that economic growth — growing the private sector and shrinking the public sector — that’s good for everyone in Florida. So we have 23.5 million people here, and we want to create economic opportunity and good jobs for everyone who wants to be in Florida.”

“I always say, if Florida was a stock, I’d be investing everything I had in it. It’s because of our economic diversification strategy and our focus on growing business and growing jobs,” he continued.

A.I. GIANT PALANTIR MOVES ITS HEADQUARTERS TO FLORIDA AS TECH COMPANY EXODUS CONTINUES

Wilson provided the most current statistics around Florida’s population and wealth migration, which began in the early post-pandemic period. The number of new residents moving to the state every day has decreased from a peak of 1,000 to between 500 and 600 people, while the amount of income has remained the same at just over $4 million, “24 hours a day, nights, weekends, holidays included.”

Through 2030, Florida is expected to welcome 500 to 600 new residents per day. (Getty Images)

The Chamber’s 2030 blueprint aims to raise Florida’s economy to a top-10 spot by that landmark year, and Wilson remained confident in the state’s ability to accomplish that goal, noting the state is reportedly close to surpassing Australia for 14th place.

“Florida leads the nation by a country mile [in income migration],” Wilson said. “States like New York, Illinois, and California are losing over 1 million dollars an hour of income. And so, if you look at the death spiral that New York is right now, for example, New Yorkers are looking at increasing income taxes, they’re looking at increasing property taxes. Of course, Florida doesn’t have an income tax.”

“The big economics lesson in America right now is Florida’s tax revenue’s up… our tax rates have gone down. But people are relocating to Florida, they’re moving their businesses here, they’re investing in our communities… that’s actually driving additional tax revenue,” he added.

Specific failures of these high-tax states go beyond the economics, as Wilson also responded to numerous reports in the new year that many prominent California billionaires and business leaders — Larry Page, Sergey Brin, Mark Zuckerberg and others — have moved to Florida, and critics of wealthy movers.

“A lot of people ask us, what’s the secret to Florida’s success? And at the Florida Chamber, we believe that no one else is responsible for Florida’s success except for Florida,” Wilson noted. “We have to look at everything from kindergarten readiness to, how do we cut childhood poverty in half? How do we make sure we have the best education system in the nation, the best legal climate, tax climate, regulatory climate, and the best quality of life of anywhere on the continent? And that’s exactly what Florida’s done.”

MARK ZUCKERBERG BECOMES LATEST CALIFORNIA BILLIONAIRE TO RELOCATE TO FLORIDA AMID TAX CONCERNS

“People of all incomes, of all different backgrounds are relocating to Florida to work, to retire, to learn, to take advantage of our education system… Florida is literally a land of opportunity where everyone can succeed. We’re so grateful to have all of these billionaires moving into Florida because they bring their businesses with them, they invest in communities,” he explained.

“Florida’s actually delivering on the promise of freedom and free enterprise. If you’ve got a family that wants to thrive or a company that wants to thrive, I think people are realizing Florida’s not just this idea and experiment. We’re actually doing it and it’s working, and I think that’s what’s most gratifying to me.”

– Mark Wilson

“These billionaires believe that Florida can do this, and they want to be here to take advantage of the innovation, the creativity, the resiliency, the growth opportunity that we have here in Florida. And states like California, Illinois, New York, New Jersey — they’re literally killing innovation. They’re literally putting a lid on these types of opportunities that really make America as good as it is.”

Wilson also touted fiscal sanity, running the state truly like a business, staying within budget while utilizing the synergy between Florida’s public and private sectors.

“New York’s been in the news a lot lately. Florida has more people than the state of New York, but New York’s state budget is twice the state budget of Florida,” the CEO detailed, “and so as they look to raise property taxes and income taxes in New York, we look to cut them.”

“Something that doesn’t get a lot of notoriety is Florida has the lowest debt per capita of any state in America. Not just compared to the big states of any state in America. It’s only about $1,000 per resident. We literally pay cash for things. And when Florida does borrow money, we’re paying lower interest rates than almost any other state in the country.”

Looking ahead to 2030, Wilson says it’s easy to imagine what success looks like in Florida aside from the rising GDP and income migration.

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“We found out that even though we were creating about one out of every 10 jobs in America, we have over 700,000 children living in poverty,” he said. “What we discovered is, over half of our kids in poverty live in just 15% – or 150 – of our ZIP codes. So by making the schools in those ZIP codes the best schools in Florida… that’s the kind of economic development that’s going to grow communities.”

“We cannot become the 10th largest economy in the world if we don’t have our kids reading at grade level and if we don’t cut childhood poverty in half. So it all is part of one big puzzle and there’s no silver bullet… and I think it’s why Florida is the example of where the rest of the country can go.”

READ MORE FROM FOX BUSINESS

JPMorgan Chase has admitted in a new court filing that it closed accounts belonging to Donald Trump and his companies following the Jan. 6, 2021 breach of the US Capitol.

The disclosure comes as Trump pursues a $5 billion lawsuit against the bank and its CEO, Jamie Dimon, claiming he was “debanked” for political reasons, TheHills reported.

In documents filed in Miami state court, Dan Wilkening, the bank’s chief administrative officer for global banking at the time, confirmed that in February 2021 JPMorgan notified Trump and several of his hospitality businesses that certain accounts would be closed.

Copies of letters dated Feb. 19, 2021, were included in the filing.

One letter to The Trump Corporation stated, “JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. (‘we’) has decided to close its banking relationship with The Trump Corporation and its affiliated entities.”

A separate letter sent directly to Trump said the bank may decide “a client’s interests are no longer served by maintaining a relationship” and informed him it would end their current relationship.

Trump Claims Political Bias in JPMorgan

According to the filing, Trump and his companies were given until April 19, 2021, to transfer hundreds of millions of dollars before the accounts were shut down.

Wilkening said the bank worked with Trump’s team to move the remaining funds to other financial institutions, following standard account agreements.

According to FoxBusiness, Trump’s lawsuit alleges the accounts were “unlawfully closed due to political discrimination” and claims he was placed on a “blacklist.”

His attorneys argue that the decision caused major financial and reputational harm.

They also claim other banks, including Bank of America, later refused to accept large deposits when Trump tried to open new accounts.

In response, JPMorgan said the lawsuit “has no merit.” The bank stated, “JPMC does not close accounts for political or religious reasons. We do close accounts because they create legal or regulatory risk for the company.”

It added that it respects Trump’s right to sue and will defend itself in court.

Account agreements submitted to the court show that JPMorgan can close accounts with or without cause, as long as written notice is given.

The agreements also allow closures if there are concerns about legal, regulatory, or policy violations.

The bank says its policies focus on anti-money laundering rules, anti-terrorism standards, government sanctions, and other compliance requirements.

Originally published on vcpost.com

Have you ever wasted a day just typing a query in Google, reading different blog posts, and none of the articles you’ve read were helpful, or the information was out of date? Just like you, many other people have been through such experiences. The average internet user nowadays runs into a paradox that it feels like there is unlimited information around, but it is quite difficult to get hold of the right information. That’s where platform like GetAssist change the game.

GetAssist is leading a change that totally alter how hundreds of thousands get answers for their online problems, including technology, social media, and digital lifestyle. Apart from the fact that the company has passed the test of time for more than five years, it has not only generated a strong and vibrant community worldwide, but it has also become the first place to go for anyone looking for quick, accurate, and straightforward solutions.

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Search engines were an incredible invention back in the days when they were first introduced into the market; however, their drawbacks have become more and more visible as our lives become increasingly digital and faster. Here is what is most likely happening:

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Accessibility is at the core of GetAssist’s values, as demonstrated by an intuitive interface that caters to users of any level of technical skills. A robust search feature lets you locate answers that have already been posted quickly, while neat sorting helps you to browse comfortably. The platform is compatible with various gadgets so that you can get solutions anytime you want, be it when you are using your mobile phone, tablet, or desktop.

The GetAssist Advantage: Benefits for Every User

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The time is valuable, and GetAssist understands that very well. Rather than requiring users to go through a lot of research, the platform, by giving concise answers only, helps them to fix problems in minutes instead of hours. Such saving of time applies not only to finding the existing solutions but also to getting the community answers for the newly raised questions.

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Job vacancies in Britain have fallen to their lowest level in five years, with graduate recruitment bearing the brunt as employers contend with higher payroll costs and the rapid adoption of artificial intelligence.

Data from Adzuna show that advertised vacancies dropped to 694,940 in January, down 16 per cent year-on-year and 3 per cent compared with December. It is the first time since January 2021 that the number of vacancies has dipped below 700,000.

The decline has been particularly severe for young people entering the labour market. Fewer than 10,000 graduate roles were advertised last month, the first time that threshold has been breached since records began in 2016. Graduate vacancies have fallen 45 per cent over the past year, while entry-level roles are down 4.4 per cent.

Youth unemployment has climbed to 16.1 per cent, its highest level in more than a decade. There are now 2.4 jobseekers competing for every vacancy, up from 2.27 in December, pointing to intensifying competition.

The figures echo recent data from the Office for National Statistics, which showed the overall unemployment rate rising to 5.2 per cent in the three months to December.

Employers are reassessing hiring plans following increases in employer national insurance contributions and minimum wage rates. At the same time, businesses are exploring AI tools that can automate junior administrative and professional roles, reducing demand for entry-level staff.

Andrew Hunter, co-founder of Adzuna, said hiring activity was approaching pandemic-era levels. “With graduate roles at a record low, the market is far from stable,” he said.

However, there are tentative signs that the pace of decline may be easing. Separate figures from the Recruitment & Employment Confederation show active job postings rose 3 per cent month-on-month to 1,435,910 in January, although they remain 5.6 per cent lower than a year earlier.

Shazia Ejaz, director of campaigns at the REC, said some employer hesitation may be fading but warned that rising costs continue to weigh on hiring decisions. “If policymakers want to avoid entrenched higher unemployment, they must be mindful of measures that increase the cost of employing staff,” she said.

One area of resilience has been pay. Adzuna reported average advertised salaries rising to £43,289 in January, up nearly 6 per cent year-on-year, suggesting firms remain willing to compete for skilled workers even as overall vacancies decline.

For young people seeking a foothold in the labour market, however, the combination of tighter hiring budgets and technological change presents mounting challenges.

Amy Ingham

Amy is a newly qualified journalist specialising in business journalism at Business Matters with responsibility for news content for what is now the UK’s largest print and online source of current business news.

Improved mobile connectivity could help create 49,000 new businesses across the UK and add £6.6bn a year to the economy within a decade, according to research commissioned by VodafoneThree.

The modelling, carried out by consultancy WPI Strategy, suggests that stronger and more reliable mobile coverage would unlock entrepreneurship in underserved areas, driving long-term economic growth by 2036.

The findings come as VodafoneThree announced it had removed 16,500 square kilometres of mobile “not spots” by deploying Multi Operator Core Network (MOCN) technology across more than 8,000 sites nationwide. The technology allows Vodafone and Three customers to connect to the strongest available signal at no extra cost.

The upgrade forms part of the company’s £11bn investment programme, which aims to deliver 99 per cent 5G Standalone population coverage by 2030, rising to 99.96 per cent by 2034.

An independent survey of 2,000 people, including existing and aspiring business owners, found that 62 per cent of would-be founders said unreliable mobile connectivity had prevented them from starting a business in their local area.

A third said better signal would make their area more attractive for launching a company, while 26 per cent said it would directly increase their likelihood of setting up a business locally.

The research echoes findings from the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology that dependable mobile connectivity boosts entrepreneurship and business performance, particularly in rural areas.

Nick Gliddon, business director at VodafoneThree, said: “When connectivity improves, entrepreneurship follows. Strong and reliable networks help start-ups win customers, build reputation and grow steadily.”

The North West of England is forecast to be among the biggest beneficiaries, with improved coverage potentially supporting nearly 6,000 new firms and adding an estimated £807m annually to the regional economy within 10 years. The South East could see around 5,800 new businesses, contributing £784m.

Even London, often assumed to be well served, stands to gain. The research suggests enhanced connectivity in the capital could enable more than 14,000 new businesses and contribute £1.9bn to the economy. Westminster alone represents the largest single opportunity, with additional gains projected in boroughs including Camden, Hackney and Islington.

Elsewhere, Wales could see over 1,000 new firms created, worth £136m annually, while Scotland could gain more than 2,100 businesses contributing £291m.

Connectivity challenges are already shaping business decisions. Two in five founders surveyed said they had relocated to start their company, citing poor signal, limited customer bases and restricted access to talent.

Six in 10 entrepreneurs said they rely on mobile connectivity to run their operations, while nearly nine in 10 reported having experienced outages that disrupted trading.

Tina McKenzie, policy chair at the Federation of Small Businesses, said consistent 5G rollout remained essential. “If we want more people to take the leap into starting their own business, they need reliable connectivity to make it possible,” she said.

Telecoms minister Liz Lloyd added that the government was working with network operators to improve coverage and support enterprise ambitions across the country.

With digital infrastructure increasingly central to modern commerce, from payments and marketing to logistics and customer service, VodafoneThree argues that closing connectivity gaps could be a critical lever for unlocking the UK’s next wave of entrepreneurial growth.

Amy Ingham

Amy is a newly qualified journalist specialising in business journalism at Business Matters with responsibility for news content for what is now the UK’s largest print and online source of current business news.

Advertisement

The site, which hosted the last British Garden Festival, was acquired by Mercia Real Estate in 2021

The newly-created Festival Park in Ebbw Vale has been boosted with five lettings. Owners, Birmingham-based Mercia Real Estate, have transformed the former retail park site, following its acquisition in 2021 to create 24 industrial units totalling 84,202 sq ft for local and national businesses and logistic operators,

The 70 acre site hosted the last British Garden Festival in 1992.

The 24 units range in size from 958 sq ft to 8,504 sq ft and support a range of business uses including light industrial, trade counter and storage units.

READ MORE: New collaboration formed between leading Welsh engineering firmsREAD MORE: Costa Coffee confirms expansion in Wales with new outlets

Water Treatment Products Ltd (WTP) has signed a three year lease on the 8,478 sq ft Unit 10 – the largest unit on the estate. WTP is one of the premier water treatment chemical manufacturers in the UK.

Steve Jones, managing director, said: “Water Treatment Products employs 55 people at our manufacturing premises based in Blaenavon. The new Festival Park site gives us extra much-needed storage space and will allow the company to be more efficient and responsive to customers with its good links to the newly-completed Heads of the Valleys road network.”

Start up sheet metal fabricator Gwent Profiles has taken a five year lease on unit 20. Director Adam Rees said “We aim to supply industrial roofing products across South Wales, the south west of England, and eventually the whole of the UK.

“Having lived in the Blaenau Gwent area our entire lives, it was important that we secured premises in this area, the potential to create much needed opportunities in the area being one of our main objectives and driving force in our decision making. Growing up, the Festival Park site had always been a thriving hub in our community and we are keen to help to restore it. The units themselves had been completed to good standards and we look forward to working in a bright and clean environment.”

Local coach and minibus operator Blowers Travel Services has signed a 10 year lease on the 7,546 sq ft Unit 18.

At Unit 15, MHDA CIC, a not-for-profit dance and performing arts company established in 2003, has signed a five year lease

Florence Craft, owner and artistic director, said: “We provide high-quality training to children from age one through to adults. Securing our own dedicated premises at Festival Park marks a major milestone and the realisation of a long-held ambition for the organisation.

“Finding a space suitable for a dance academy is extremely rare and this unit stood out for its size, beautiful presentation, parking and peaceful setting.”

The existing site was chosen as the last British Garden Festival site in 1992 on what was site for the former the British Steel steel and tin works, which had been partly demolished in the early 1980s. The National Garden Festival ran from May until October 1992 and attracted over two million people.

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