Vanessa Ward, chief inspector of the Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI), writes in Tes outlining proposals for a new inspection framework, which intends to put ‘school leadership and its impact on pupils’ wellbeing at the heart of inspection practice’.

Libby Nicholas, managing director at Dukes Education, a group of independent nurseries, schools, and colleges in the UK, writes for Tes arguing the proposed framework offers “welcome and important changes”.

The Government has set aside £22.6 million for the Targeted Support Fund to help small schools support their staff to complete free national professional qualifications (NPQs). The NPQs are open to all schools including independent schools. By James Carr, Schools Week.

Robin Walker, the minister for school standards, writes in Tes for National Thank a Teacher Day outlining why the Government believes a new pay offer and access to more NPQs can help drive a new perception of teaching in England.

In an article for Tes, Dame Rachel de Souza, the children’s commissioner for England, welcomes proposals to bring schools more closely into the social care system. She writes that “schools play an integral role in safeguarding and protecting children in need and, for too long, the voice of education has been missing from multi-agency safeguarding arrangements".

Independent Education Today interviews Rosie McColl, head of Brighton Girls, on headship and girls-only education. Ms McColl says: "Our aim is to create an environment in which girls can flourish, and we do this by providing a safe space for them to discover their passions and develop their strengths, alongside teachers who are experts in understanding the pressures and the challenges of being a young woman in the world today."

According to Schools Week, the Department for Education (DfE) has said it will publish a handbook for schools on how to use extracurricular activities to support pupils' wellbeing, after rejecting calls for all pupils to undergo a mental health and wellbeing assessment. By Samantha Booth.

A group of teenage girls studying at Sandbach High School and Sixth Form College have launched a petition calling for the Government to ban school uniforms in both sex shops and pornography, after being subjected to sexual harassment in public spaces while wearing their school uniforms. By Maya Oppenheim, The Independent.

The university admissions service, UCAS, has predicted that the number of foreign university students is set to increase by almost 50 per cent in five years following a renewed interest in living in the UK since COVID restrictions have lifted, with the NHS and English language listed as motivating factors. By Nicola Woolcock, The Times.

The Times interviews Sophie Pender, founder of the 93 Percent Club, a social mobility charity for university students who did not attend an independent school.

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