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Daily News Summary
21 July 2022

Scottish union leader warns of a ‘perfect storm’ of strike action over teacher pay
Supreme Court ruling clarifies the way schools must calculate holiday pay for term-time-only staff
House of Commons: Written answer about independent schools and VAT
“Significant issues” with 10 of 11 DfE projects
State schools could face a £2.5bn budget cut next year, warn Liberal Democrats
Food technology teachers warn the subject may be becoming "too expensive to teach"
Teens favour Instagram and TikTok over traditional media when it comes to the news, findings suggest
Universities urged to do more to track and prevent student homelessness

Scottish union leader warns of a ‘perfect storm’ of strike action over teacher pay

 

The Scottish Government has been told that failure to act over teacher pay could result in strikes over the winter. Seamus Searson, general secretary of the Scottish Secondary Teachers’ Association (SSTA), warned that the organisation is working closely with English teaching unions, adding that "all the schools in the UK could be closed around the same time". By Emma Seith, Tes.

 
Tes

Supreme Court ruling clarifies the way schools must calculate holiday pay for term-time-only staff

 

Following a landmark Supreme Court ruling, schools with permanent staff on term-time-only contracts must calculate their holiday pay based on the hours they work in a normal week, rather than paying them pro-rata based on the number of weeks they work each year. By Freddie Whittaker, Schools Week.

 
Schools Week

House of Commons: Written answer about independent schools and VAT

 

In a question for the Treasury, Rachel Reeves, shadow chancellor of the exchequer, asked the treasurer to "make an estimate of the revenue that would be raised from removing the VAT-exempt status of private schools". In response, Lucy Frazer, financial secretary to the treasury, said: "Many supplies of education, including those provided by eligible independent schools, are exempt from VAT. This means that no VAT is charged to the final consumer, and that the schools cannot recover VAT they incur on their costs." Hansard.

 
Hansard

“Significant issues” with 10 of 11 DfE projects

 

Government officials have warned that 10 out of 11 major Department for Education (DfE) projects have been given “amber” ratings, meaning successful delivery is “feasible” but “significant issues already exist, requiring management attention”. The projects include the rollout of teacher training and T-level reforms, school rebuilds and the National Tutoring Programme. By Tom Belger, Schools Week.

 
Schools Week

State schools could face a £2.5bn budget cut next year, warn Liberal Democrats

 

According to new analysis by the Liberal Democrats, the Government's 1.9 per cent increase in funding for mainstream schools next year could actually result in school budgets facing a £2.5bn “pay cut” due to soaring inflation. By Zoe Tidman, The Independent.

 
The Independent

Food technology teachers warn the subject may be becoming "too expensive to teach"

 

Food technology teachers have warned that high inflation could mean the subject becomes “too expensive to teach”, adding that some ingredients have already doubled in price. By Callum Mason, Tes.

 
Tes

Teens favour Instagram and TikTok over traditional media when it comes to the news, findings suggest

 

An Ofcom report has found that teenagers are more likely to get their news from Instagram and TikTok than BBC bulletins, despite the fact that they consider social media to be far less trustworthy and accurate than traditional media. By Anita Singh, The Telegraph.

 
The Telegraph

Universities urged to do more to track and prevent student homelessness

 

A report by the Higher Education Policy Institute has urged universities to do more to track and prevent student homelessness, which is expected to rise because of the cost of living crisis and widening participation in higher education. By Sally Weale, The Guardian.

 
The Guardian

 

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