Mark Littlewood, director-general of the Institute of Economic Affairs, writes in The Times in favour of a voucher system to allocate school places, putting a stop to "the horrible chicanery that parents have to engage in to get the best they can for their kids". Referencing Labour's tax plans for independent schools, Mr Littlewood adds: "Some estimates suggest that as many as 135,000 additional students will be transferred to the state sector, either because a private school is no longer financially viable or because parents won’t be able to cope with the hike in fees."

According to The Guardian's analysis of government data, more than 90 primary schools in England are to close or are at risk of closure because they are more than two-thirds empty. By Carmen Aguilar García and Heather Stewart.

According to The Times, foreign teachers are being offered £10,000 to work in English schools as part of a recruitment drive to fill classroom vacancies. By Chris Smyth and Nicola Woolcock.

Speaking to BBC News, school staff have warned that pupils are suffering as a result of the shortage of supply teachers.

The Sunday Times reports on the growing number of over-55s working in the teaching profession. It is the only age group in which teacher training recruits have increased over the past year. By Sian Griffiths and Narottam Medhora.

Retailers could be banned from giving free vape samples to children under government plans to crack down on underage vaping. Rishi Sunak has also said there will be a review into the rules around the sale of "nicotine-free" products to under-18s. By Jasmine Andersson and Hugh Pym, BBC News.

Joanne Harris, the author of 'Chocolat' and chairwoman of the Society of Authors, has suggested that reading books with female protagonists could help boys listen to the voices of female victims of violence when they grow up. By Jack Blackburn, The Times.

A recent survey of 1,007 teenage girls, by period-equality charity IRise International, found that 434 pupils struggled to access period products at school, while 610 had difficulty accessing school or college toilets on their period. By Hayley Clarke, BBC News.

The Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) will ballot its 24,000 members in England on strike action over its ongoing dispute with the Department for Education. The ballot will run from 19 June to 31 July, and any resulting strike action is expected to take place in the autumn term. By Mark Gould, Tes.

The Times reports the "critical failure" of the government's reforms to vocational training has seen 40 per cent of apprentices drop out of their course early, costing training providers almost £2 billion in lost earnings between 2018 and last year. By James Hurley.

The Daily News Summary will be taking a short pause this week, returning on Monday 5 June 2023. On behalf of the ISC, we wish you all a happy half-term break.

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.

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