Several articles report that the Labour Party plans to force a vote in Parliament on the creation of a new committee to look at the ‘fair taxation of schools and education standards’. The motion, submitted by the party for the opposition day debate today, has been drafted in an attempt to 'push' the charitable status of independent schools to be investigated, as Labour attempts to shift the political focus on to education. By Harriet Line and Connor Stringer, Daily Mail. Julie Robinson, chief executive of the Independent Schools Council (ISC), is quoted, saying: "Rather than continuing to pursue an ideological policy that would not raise the money they claim, Labour should look at fiscally sensible ways of working with independent schools to expand on the good partnership work already being done to enhance educational opportunity for all."

Tim Loughton, Sir Robert Goodwill, Brendan Clarke-Smith and Jonathan Gullis have told the Government that schools must stay open if teachers strike, as unions prepare to reveal the results of their ballots. The former education ministers have warned 'the damage caused by school closures during COVID lockdowns must not be repeated'. By Dominic Penna and Louisa Clarence-Smith, The Telegraph.

The Guardian reports unions representing staff in the NHS, railways, education and civil service have discussed plans for a co-ordinated "day of action", after the Government unveiled its proposed anti-strike legislation yesterday. By Peter Walker and Denis Campbell.

Preliminary examinations have had to be rescheduled for some pupils in Scotland as secondary teachers are striking in an ongoing pay dispute. The walkout follows the closure of almost all primary schools in the country yesterday. BBC News.

In a comment piece for The Times, Sam Wood, a mother of two and a member of the National Parent Forum of Scotland, considers the impact of the strikes in Scotland on working parents.

Professor Irene Tracey, formally admitted as vice-chancellor of Oxford University this morning, has told The Telegraph that she is against setting targets to increase the proportion of state school pupils and that independent school pupils will not be restricted from gaining places at the university. Reference is made to warnings made last year by independent schools concerned that their pupils were being discriminated against by Oxbridge admissions tutors under pressure to increase the number of state school pupils 'to make the system look fairer'. By Louisa Clarence-Smith.

The Guardian also features an interview with Professor Tracey in which she says she is keen to alleviate the "really tough" pressures on junior staff and that one of her first tasks will be to investigate pay and working conditions at the university. By Richard Adams.

The All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Schools, Learning and Assessment has launched an inquiry into the case for reforming school assessments across primary, GCSE, post-16 and vocational education. It is the latest in a series of in-depth reviews into assessment reform by a variety of groups in recent years, some of which have called for exams to be scrapped. By Rhodri Morgan, Tes.

Census figures from the Office for National Statistics have revealed that more people hold a degree or equivalent than 10 years ago. In England and Wales in 2021, 33.8 per cent of those aged 16 and over had at least a Level 4 qualification, such as a bachelor’s degree or postgraduate qualification, compared with 2011 when the figure was 27.2 per cent. By Nicola Woolcock, The Times.

Lord Willetts, the Conservative former universities minister, and Lord Knight, the Labour former schools minister, have launched a campaign to boost the number of engineering apprentices. In a document published today, they have pointed out that one in seven engineering apprentices are women, compared with half of apprentices across all sectors. By Nicola Woolcock, The Times.

Figures from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) suggest that the statutory working hours of teachers in Scotland are among the lowest in the developed world. Researchers found that staff there spend more time in front of pupils than the majority of their counterparts abroad but do relatively few statutory hours outside class. By Mark McLaughlin, The Times.

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