Parents have expressed concern after the government announced major changes to education, health and care plans (EHCPs), which almost 640,000 children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) currently have in place in England.

As part of new SEND reforms, the Labour government has pledged £4 billion to “make every school truly inclusive”, with mainstream schools receiving extra investment to help children get tailored support where and when they need it.

It has also promised £1.8 billion to create a “bank of specialists” like SEND teachers and speech and language therapists in every local area which schools can utilise on demand.

Going forward, the plan is for EHCPs – a legally-binding document outlining the needs of a child and what support is required to meet those needs – to be reserved for the most complex special educational needs, which can’t routinely be met in mainstream schools.

In addition to this, the government said there will be a new legal requirement for schools to create Individual Support Plans (ISPs) for all children with SEND.

“Every ISP will draw from a national framework of high-quality interventions that lead to the best education and life chances, personalised by the teachers and specialists who know children best,” the government said in a press release.

“The support ISPs set out will be easily available, without a fight, thanks to the government’s multi-billion-pound investment in services like speech and language therapy and small group teaching in schools.”

The transition from EHCPs to ISPs for children in mainstream schools will begin from 2030.

ISPs will be in place for children who are transitioning from an EHCP before they move to the new system, so there should be no break in support, the government said. EHCPs and ISPs will also both be digitised moving forward.

Andrea Dixon-Boldy, founder of the SEN Parent Support Group, which was set up as a result of her experience trying to access support for her child, told HuffPost UK: “While the government presents a two‑tier, standardised model as transformational, the financial reality is that once the headline of billions is diluted across 24,000 schools and 152 local authorities, a typical school sees the equivalent of one extra TA and limited access to overstretched specialists.

“How does this meet our children and young people’s needs when they are already struggling?”

She is concerned the reform “replaces enforceable, needs‑led provision with standardised pathways and school‑level responsibility, without the legal accountability or sustainable funding required to change children’s lived experience”.

SEN psychotherapist Gee Eltringham, who is a parent and founder of twigged, the parental support system for children with ADHD, said of the shift to ISPs: “Giving every child a plan sounds positive, but without real and relevant training for the staff writing those plans or understanding the reasons behind why the child needs certain intervention, it risks becoming paperwork over practice.

“ADHD is not ‘fidgeting so give them a fidget’. Dyslexia is not ‘slow so give more time’. What we need is trauma-informed, neurodiversity-affirming schools from Reception onwards. If we make mainstream environments genuinely understanding, we prevent crises and reduce the need to respond to burnout years later.”

She wants to see a 50-year cross-party commitment to creating inclusive schools, rather than short-term policy shifts.

“We must separate two priorities: children already in crisis, and those we can still reach early enough to prevent burnout and secondary mental health conditions,” she told HuffPost UK.

“Inclusion bases, exam adjustments and templates will not fix this on their own. Deep neurodiversity understanding and trauma-informed practice will. Children’s nervous systems cannot wait for political cycles, and waiting until 2030 for reform is not good enough.”

Anna Bird, chair of the Disabled Children’s Partnership, welcomed the extra investment promised, but said they are “deeply concerned” about plans to restrict access to EHCPs to those with the most complex needs.

She pointed out that there hasn’t been any mention of which children are considered to have complex needs, either. HuffPost UK has contacted the government for more insight on this.

“Parents and young people up and down the country face months of worry unless the government reassures them that all children whose needs cannot or are not met by individual schools’ plans will be able to get an EHCP,” she added.

Amanda Allard, director of the Council for Disabled Children, said they welcome the commitment to retain EHCPs for children and young people whose needs cannot be met through the new mainstream model.

“We know that many parents will welcome the legal requirement for schools to create Individual Support Plans (ISPs) for all children with SEND,” she added, noting that at the same time, parents “will be concerned to understand how accountability will work”.

Children’s Commissioner, Dame Rachel de Souza, called the changes “an opportunity to move to a system that acknowledges that every child, at some point in their lives, will require help and support”.

She added that “no child should fear losing support” so she will be working closely with ministers and families over the coming months to make sure that doesn’t happen.

The BBC has confirmed that it will be censoring an utterance of the N-word by an audience member with Tourette’s at this year’s Baftas in its iPlayer coverage of the event.

On Sunday night, Tourette’s campaigner John Davidson attended the Baftas alongside the cast and crew of I Swear, the 2025 film inspired by his life story.

Variety reported that, before the ceremony, the event’s floor manager told guests that they “might hear some involuntary noises or movements during the ceremony”.

This incident was included in the BBC’s coverage of the 2026 Baftas, which aired on a time delay of around two hours.

At the time, Baftas host Alan Cumming acknowledged the “strong language in the background” and thanked audience members for “understanding and helping create a respectful space for everyone”.

He added later that night: “Tourette’s Syndrome is a disability and the tics you’ve heard tonight are involuntary, which means the person who has Tourette’s Syndrome has no control over their language. We apologise if you are offended tonight.”

On Monday, the BBC also apologised “for any offence caused by the language heard” and has since confirmed that it is being removed from the version of the Baftas ceremony streaming on BBC iPlayer.

“Some viewers may have heard strong and offensive language during the Bafta Film Awards,” a spokesperson told HuffPost UK. “This arose from involuntary verbal tics associated with Tourette syndrome, and as explained during the ceremony it was not intentional.

“We apologise that this was not edited out prior to broadcast and it will now be removed from the version on BBC iPlayer.”

The NHS’ official website describes Tourette’s syndrome as a “condition that causes you to make sudden, repetitive sounds or movements”, known as tics.

It also lists examples of tics including whistling, sniffing or clearing your throat a lot, making animal sounds, repeating a sound, word or phrase and swearing, though it’s noted that this is only in rare cases.

“Tics can be triggered by different things including stress, excitement or tiredness,” the NHS also advises.

Since the Baftas aired, the BBC has faced considerable backlash for cutting a pro-Palestine message from one winner’s acceptance speech, while leaving in the use of the N-word.

A rep for the broadcaster previously said: “The live event is three hours and it has to be reduced to two hours for its on-air slot. The same happened to other speeches made during the night and all edits were made to ensure the programme was delivered to time.”

When you wake up in the middle of the night, do you find that you’re sleeping on your stomach or your side? Or do you consistently wind up on your back with the sole of one foot tucked against the calf of your other leg?

If so, you sleep like a flamingo. And if you’re on TikTok or Instagram, you might come across an influencer claiming this sleep position signals you’re stressed out or carry pain in your hips.

While this sleep position isn’t inherently dangerous – and, in fact, may be most comfortable for your body – it may suggest you need some extra support in certain cases, said Laura Nolan, a psychotherapist who specialises in somatic therapy. Here’s what to know.

Nolan said she most commonly sees people sleeping this way when they have hypermobility, a condition in which joints stretch beyond their typical range of motion. Many people with joint hypermobility syndrome experience loose joints, joint instability and chronic pain.

“Hypermobility is linked to neurodivergence and many of the neurodivergent adults I work with report sleeping in more unconventional ways, including in the flamingo posture as well as with clenched fists or T. rex hands,” she said.

Sleeping in the flamingo position may be a habit acquired through experience and repetition. Or perhaps you wind up in this position because of chronic pain or a physical injury, Nolan added.

It’s also possible that consistently sleeping in this position – which could be unstable for some – could further strain your joints or even result in muscle stiffness, she explained. “Our bodies are complex,” she noted.

The flamingo position isn’t an automatic red flag. Nolan said it’s entirely possible that this position is simply a cosy way for you to sleep. “It can be normal and healthy to sleep in the flamingo position,” she explained.

Jade Wu, a board-certified sleep psychologist, similarly said we naturally sleep in positions that are most comfortable to us. “Often being in this position simply shows that someone feels most comfortable doing it,” she added.

In fact, if you’re on your side with a leg up – a variation of side sleeping – the flamingo position may lower your risk of sleep apnoea and other breathing problems, Wu noted.

As a somatic psychotherapist, Nolan is more curious about what feels good about sleeping in this position rather than assuming you have “stuck stress” in the body or that something is wrong.

Nolan encourages people to have a relaxed, easeful approach to sleeping. “Having too much scrutiny over how you sleep, including by thinking you are sleeping wrong or engaging in sleep perfectionism, will likely worsen sleep quality for those with existing issues,” she said.

Unless an orthopaedic health care provider or another physician has advised you to stop sleeping like a flamingo to avoid putting pressure on certain joints, there’s no need to stop, according to Wu.

Rather than forcing or training yourself to sleep in certain positions, get creative about how you can support your body while you snooze, Nolan advised.

For example, if you tend to sleep like a flamingo, consider adding a pillow underneath your knees. If you’re more of a T. rex sleeper, consider holding something in your hands, like a stuffed animal or pillow. “Be creative,” Nolan said.

If you feel stressed at bedtime, carve out some time to unwind – by practicing yoga, mindfulness or deep breathing – after dinner. Another technique Nolan recommends is progressive muscle relaxation, which involves tensing then relaxing various muscle groups. As you move between body parts, notice how each one feels.

“Remind yourself that stress is not all bad and we have many easy and quick ways of completing the stress response,” Nolan said.

Lord Peter Mandelson has been arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office.

The former Labour minister and US ambassador has been accused of passing on market sensitive information to paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein when he was business secretary in the wake of the global financial crash.

Two of his properties have been searched by police. Mandelson denies any wrongdoing.

A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said: “Officers have arrested a 72-year-old man on suspicion of misconduct in public office.

“He was arrested at an address in Camden on Monday, February 23 and has been taken to a London police station for interview.

“This follows search warrants at two addresses in the Wiltshire and Camden areas.”

Footage shown by broadcasters shows a plain clothed police officer leading Lord Mandelson out of a house.

Lord Mandelson then gets into the left rear seat of a waiting unmarked Ford Focus police car.

Mandelson was sacked as the UK’s ambassador to Washington last September, just seven months after being appointed by Keir Starmer, after more details emerged about his links to Epstein.

The fresh allegations about his conduct followed the release of millions of documents about Epstein by the US Department of Justice last month.

Earlier this month, the scandal led to the resignation of No.10 chief of staff Morgan McSweeney, who said he was taking responsibility for advising the PM to give Mandelson the plum diplomatic role.

Mandelson also resigned his seat in the House of Lords, although he still retains his title.

His arrest comes just days after Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, another former associate of Epstein, was also arrested over allegations he committed misconduct in a public office when he was a UK trade envoy.

Nick Reiner pleaded not guilty to the killings of his parents, Hollywood director Rob Reiner and producer Michele Singer Reiner, in a Los Angeles court Monday.

The 32-year-old’s plea to charges of two counts of first-degree murder, with the special circumstance of multiple murders, was entered by his public defender, Kimberly Greene.

The charges carry a maximum sentence of life without possibility of parole or the death penalty.

A not-guilty plea is common for criminal defendants at this stage of the case, as The Associated Press reported.

He had been set to enter a plea last month in the December stabbings but his defense attorney withdrew from the case during his last court hearing. Nick Reiner, who has since been represented by a public defender, waived his right to a speedy arraignment.

He is being held without bail.

Nick Reiner’s parents were found stabbed to death in their Los Angeles home on December 14. He was taken into custody hours later without incident, authorities said at the time.

Nick Reiner, who is the third of Rob Reiner’s four children, has a history of substance use. Authorities have not said anything about possible motives.