SEND petition, Helen Fielding, Women's Rugby, Child photographers, Teen Summit

Campaigners deliver a petition to Downing Street calling for parents of children with SEND to be exempt from being fined if their children miss school. Currently they risk a criminal record and possible jail sentence if the child is off school three or more times within the same period. Alex Stafford, a Senior Solicitor from IPSEA, an independent provider of special education advice, joins Nuala McGovern to discuss the impact on parents.

Author Helen Fielding is launching a competition to find new comedy writers from the North of England. The Bridget Jones Prize will be managed by Newcastle-based writing charity New Writing North. From Yorkshire herself, Helen is looking for first-person stand-alone prose, not unlike the diary entries of her fictional heroine, first published anonymously in The Independent newspaper in 1995. Helen explains why she wants more to be made of the northern humour she grew up with.

The British and Irish Lions Rugby Union team will play a historic first ever women's fixture when they face France at Cardiff's Principality Stadium next August, ahead of their 2027 tour to New Zealand in September. It will bring together leading players from England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales and will see the team play five matches in New Zealand, including three Test matches against the six-time world champion Black Ferns. Nuala is joined by Maggie Alphonsi - England Rugby World Cup winner - and Ruby Tui, New Zealand Rugby World Cup winner and Olympic Gold medallist, who are both ambassadors for this first women’s tour.

A new survey for BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Bitesize of over 2,000 young people across the UK helps to build a picture of teenage girls in Britain in 2026 and indicates how their lives differ from the experience of boys.  A broadcast live from Newcastle upon Tyne on BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Bitesize will bring together an audience of 50 teenagers for the 2026 BBC Teen Summit to discuss teenagers' concerns about their future job prospects, the growing influence of AI, and the impact of online life. BBC Radio 5 Live and Woman’s Hour presenter Clare McDonnell explains the findings.

We’ll be celebrating the creativity of children behind the camera to mark the opening of a new exhibition in London: Snap Happy! How Children Became Photographers.  It looks back at the photos children have been taking since the Victorian era. The Cottingley Fairies were the most famous but curator Annebella Pollen has found other examples. She joins us along with photographer Lillian Spibey.

PRESENTER: Nuala McGovern
PRODUCER: Melanie Abbott