Concerns over children being smacked and hit triple in a year, says NSPCC as campaigners call for a total ban in England

Hundreds of schools in England are still at risk of collapse from crumbling concrete, according to previously unpublished figures. Official data, which the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO)

A third of children in council care in 2023 lived over 20 miles away from their local area, school and family – around 4,600 people in total.

Councils’ available spending to grow by an estimated 3.2% in real terms in 2025-26, with authorities also given £250m to test new approaches in children’s