Liz Truss has appointed Kit Malthouse, the Conservative MP for North West Hampshire, as the new education secretary, making him the fourth person to hold the role in just over two months. By Jason Noble and Freddie Whittaker, Schools Week.

Schools Week details 12 facts about the new education secretary. By Freddie Whittaker.

The Times reports the attainment gap between poor 11-year-olds and their wealthier peers has widened from 2.91 to 3.21 since 2018. Overall SATs results fell considerably from 2019, the last year the tests were taken, with only 59 per cent reaching the expected standard across all three subjects this year. By Nicola Woolcock.

According to Schools Week, more than 2,000 SATs papers are still missing, leaving hundreds of schools without results for their pupils as the new academic year starts. By Samantha Booth.

The Telegraph reports 11-year-olds who speak English as a second language have overtaken their peers in reading, writing and maths for the first time. By Louisa Clarence-Smith.

Tes summarises six key findings from this year's SATs results. By Matilda Martin.

Of the 36,000 undergraduates joining the University of Cambridge this year, 72.5 per cent are from state schools, prompting the Campaign for Real Education pressure group to say universities "should be school-blind". By Louisa Clarence-Smith, The Telegraph.

Luke Graham, a former Conservative MP for Ochil & South Perthshire, has said the Scottish curriculum has become 'weaponised under nationalist governance', and has called on Liz Truss to intervene to ensure the country's education system becomes a "powerful tool to fortify the foundations of our United Kingdom". By Marc Horne, The Times.

A Schools Week investigation explores how rising energy prices could force some schools to make "unpalatable" choices to keep classrooms open this winter. By Tom Belger.

According to a new report by NHS Digital, one in 10 secondary school pupils now vape and there has been a sharp increase in teenage girls taking up the habit. By Eleanor Hayward, The Times.

Reception pupils in Wales are being offered free school meals from this month as part of a phased rollout to all primary school children by 2024. By Bethan Lewis, BBC News.

The Independent Schools Council (ISC) monitors the national and educational press in order to keep independent schools up-to-date with relevant education news. The DNS is a service primarily for schools in membership of ISC associations, although other interested parties can choose to sign-up. We endeavour to include relevant news and commentary and, wherever possible, notable public letters. Where capacity allows, we may include links to ISC blogs, press statements and information about school or association events. News stories are selected based on their relevance to the independent sector as a whole. Editorial control of the DNS remains solely with the ISC.

Sign-up to the email service is available on our website.

Members can contact the ISC if they know in advance of news, letters or opinions that are likely to feature in the media, or are aware of existing coverage which they would like to see featured in the DNS.

Headlines and first-line summaries are written by the ISC with the link directing to the source material. You should read and comply with the terms and conditions of the websites to which we link.