Columnist Ross Clark writes in The Spectator exploring research by EDSK that has found Labour’s plan to impose VAT on independent school fees would not raise the £1.6 billion the party has claimed. Mr Clark writes: "Whatever the merits of that argument, the inescapable truth is that the more such a policy succeeds in driving pupils into the state sector, the less successful it will be at raising revenue."

The Department for Education’s (DfE) revised safeguarding guidance, published yesterday and due to come into force in September, has excluded transgender issues in schools. Ministers and campaigners have raised concerns that it makes no reference to the dangers of schools allowing pupils to switch gender without informing parents, nor of the risks of teaching contested gender ideology. By Louisa Clarence-Smith, The Telegraph.

Schools Week reports that the DfE's updated guidance has stressed that all school staff must undergo training on the filtering and monitoring of online devices after a coroner questioned current safeguarding guidelines. By Amy Walker.

A poll by YouGov suggests two thirds of the public believe the education system is failing to teach pupils the right skills. Ahead of the second Times Education Summit tomorrow, the findings indicate that the majority of Britons think pupils are not sufficiently prepared for their futures and that a lack of workplace skills is holding Britain back. By Emma Yeomans, The Times.

A Teach First survey shared exclusively with Tes has revealed nearly half of teachers and school leaders believe headship is incompatible with parenthood, with the figure being slightly higher for women (49 per cent) than for respondents overall (46 per cent). Over a quarter of teachers said they had considered applying for a promotion but decided not to due to worries about balancing workload and family life. By Matilda Martin.

Writing in Tes, Education Select Committee member Anna Firth says increasing flexible-working opportunities in schools will not only make for happier teachers but will aid the education of disadvantaged children.

Gillian Keegan has said the government will “take action to offer further support” to heads following the death of Ruth Perry. The education secretary met with the family of the headteacher who took her own life earlier this year, and said in a statement that is it “important that we have meaningful conversations about the wellbeing of school leaders". By Freddie Whittaker, Schools Week.

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