According to The Telegraph, sources from the independent sector are warning that between 150-200 independent schools could be at risk of closure under Labour's tax proposal. The prime minister, Rishi Sunak, and education secretary Gillian Keegan both defended independent schools yesterday, with Ms Keegan saying that Labour’s proposal represented the “politics of envy”. Criticising the Labour Party for citing an Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) policy paper published 12 years ago, which argued that 'demand for independent school places doesn’t change substantially if fees change', a spokeswoman from the Independent Schools Council (ISC) said: "The data is up to 30 years old [...] meaning the IFS data cannot accurately represent the situation of families today.” Reference is also made to research by Oxford Economics for the ISC, which shows that independent schools save the taxpayer £4.4 billion every year by providing places for pupils who could otherwise be expected to take up a place in the state sector. By Louisa Clarence-Smith.

In a comment piece in The Times, Frank Young, editorial director at the Civitas think tank, describes Labour's plan as "a move that will saddle the taxpayer and spell disaster for children from poorer homes".

Writing in the Daily Mail, Molly Kingsley, the co-founder of the UsForThem campaign group for children's welfare, warns that the tax policy is "bad for pupils in both the private and state sectors, bad for the institutions and the parents, bad for teachers and bad for the economy".

Also writing in the Daily Mail, Stephen Glover argues the plan "would target people who are by no stretch of the imagination rich. They are the strivers [...] who choose to spend their limited funds on the most precious gift that can be given to children. A good education."

A survey by Education Support has revealed that 59 per cent of all educational staff and leaders surveyed said they have considered leaving their role in the past academic year because of pressures on their mental health. Researchers used the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale to gauge how different groups and those in different regions were feeling and found that 75 per cent of school staff and 84 per cent of leaders said they were stressed. Tes.

Writing in Schools Week, Sinéad Mc Brearty, chief executive at Education Support, reflects on the findings and asks: "Why have we accepted mental and physical burnout as part of an education career?"

Research by the National Association of School-Based Teacher Trainers (NASBTT) and seen by Tes suggests that teacher shortages are expected to become 'more acute' as cost pressures increase. School-based training providers fear that teacher trainees could be forced to drop out of courses as a result of the cost of living crisis. By Matilda Martin.

In the latest instalment of the ISC's 'Spotlight On' blog series, Sophie Bennett, assistant head (partnerships and public relations) at University College School, Hampstead, explains how drama has recently taken centre stage in the school’s partnership provision.

Michelle Donelan, the culture secretary, has said social media companies will face "severe punishments" including huge fines if they do not stop young children using their platforms. Despite having minimum age limits, the advertising algorithms used by some companies have been targeting much younger children, Ms Donelan has warned. By Steven Swinford and Mark Sellman, The Times.

An analysis of NHS data by the Pharmaceutical Journal has found that the number of children being prescribed medication to help them sleep has almost tripled in the past seven years. Experts have voiced concerns that drugs are being overused due to a lack of support for families. By Oliver Wright and Kat Lay, The Times.

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