Jonathan Gullis, the new school standards minister, has said said his “biggest fear of all” would be to remove charitable status from private schools. Addressing delegates at a session run by the ISC and PLMR at the Conservative conference yesterday, Mr Gullis said that ending tax breaks for independent schools, as was proposed at the Labour conference last week, would 'create a “more elitist” system, and added that we should not “punish” the aspiration of middle-income earners'. ISC chief executive Julie Robinson welcomed the comments and is quoted in the article saying 'Labour seemed “wedded” to the policy, even though it would drive up fees'.

Mr Gullis also said he would like to see more multi-academy trusts developing schools in areas outside London and the south east, suggesting they could do this by partnering with smaller independent schools. He praised a partnership between Eton College and Star Academies as one example of how such arrangements work well. By Callum Mason, Tes.

Iain Mansfield, head of education at the Policy Exchange think tank and a former special adviser on education, has said 'class or background should not be used as a basis for awarding places to students'. Mr Mansfield's remarks follow the release of figures from the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) which showed 18-year-olds from the 'wealthiest backgrounds' were the only group to see a decline in numbers gaining places this year. By Louisa Clarence-Smith, The Telegraph.

Further coverage on comments from Jonathan Gullis who was speaking at a fringe event at the Conservative conference yesterday. He said the Government is considering more financial childcare support for teachers, as 'improving teacher recruitment and retention was one of his top priorities in the role'. On the issue of grammar schools, Mr Gullis said he would like to see new grammar schools in this Parliament. By Freddie Whittaker, Schools Week.

Chris Woolf, the international director at Wellington College International explores how the use of remote learning, which increased during the pandemic, could inspire lasting positive change. Jamie Monaghan, principal of North London Collegiate School, Dubai, is also quoted in the TES article.

A survey in Scotland by the NASUWT has revealed almost two thirds of teachers said more students were 'coming to school hungry'. The union is calling for more support for staff and families impacted by the cost of living crisis. By Katrine Bussey, The Times.

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