Labour's planned independent school tax fee plans could see state-educated pupils losing access to vital sports grounds and arts spaces, chief executive of the Independent Schools Council (ISC) Julie Robinson has warned. Speaking to the The Mail on Sunday, Ms Robinson said: "If some independent schools close – which is a possibility – as a result of Labour's tax on parents, that will inevitably impact state pupils who use sports, arts and other facilities at those schools. Three quarters of fee-paying schools open their state-of-the art facilities to the wider community. This is because public schools can register as charities in return for acts that benefit communities." By Molly Clayton.

Sir Keir Starmer has reportedly turned down an attempt by independent schools to meet and discuss his plan to add VAT to school fees. In a letter sent two weeks ago, Julie Robinson told the Labour leader that "our schools would like to work with Labour exploring how we can constructively support your plans for education". Ms Robinson highlighted the impact on faith schools and schools with special needs pupils, which she warned "will be particularly vulnerable to the impact of tax changes". However, Sir Keir has failed to respond to the overture – and Labour insiders say that they are not intending to compromise. By Glen Owen and Dan Hodges, The Mail on Sunday.

Tax experts have warned independent schools against using Gift Aid on donations as a way to avoid Labour’s proposed addition of VAT on school fees, amid concerns it could verge into tax evasion. By Poppy Wood, David Parsley and Chris Green, iNews.

Writing in The Sunday Times, Dominic Lawson considers Labour's tax plans and warns that they pose a risk to bursaries and cross-sector partnership work. Referencing Eastbourne College, where his brother is headmaster, Mr Lawson says: "Those bursaries — and this would be true across the sector — would be at risk if too many of those paying full fees were to withdraw to the state sector." The paper includes a live poll asking "should private schools keep their tax relief?", which appears at the end of the article.

The Telegraph reports that Labour has launched a "lawfare" campaign against independent schools, targeting the ISC with multiple legal demands for data which have cost the organisation "many thousands of pounds" to comply with. Education secretary Bridget Phillipson has made a number of subject access requests (SARs) to the ISC, which have been handed by Labour to The Guardian, raising concerns over free speech and the use of legislation to silence critics. The news has prompted Conservative officials to accuse Labour of a "personal vendetta". By Will Hazell. 

Analysis of pupil number projections by Schools Week suggests the number of pupils in state primary and secondary schools is expected to fall by 46,000 next year and by 12 per cent over the next decade, raising the possibility that there will be 650,000 fewer pupils in state education in 2030 than in 2020. By Freddie Whittaker.

Speaking to Ayesha Hazarika on Times Radio, Helen Pike, master of Magdalen College School, said "the unintended consequences [of the policy] are likely to be greater than any marginal benefit", warning of the impact it would have on an already stretched state sector. She also highlighted the positive contributions of independent schools to the national economy and their local communities. 

Ms Pike was also interviewed by RSAcademics' founder Russell Speirs for his podcast series, in which she spoke about the importance of music and oracy in education. Independent School Management Plus.

Dominic Sandbrook has a comment piece published in The Times in which he argues that though Labour may be considering adding VAT to fees, the independent school sector will survive. He writes: "Sir Keir Starmer is not the first politician to take aim at Britain’s ancient boarding schools, and he surely won’t be the last."

Johanna Noble writes in The Sunday Times explaining why it is unlikely she will be able to afford independent school fees for her children. Ms Noble says: "We would still like to consider it as an option for secondary school, but with private school fees going up, the door on that dream is slowly closing."

The Telegraph features an interview with Michael Palin, in which he talked about his time at Shrewsbury School. Speaking on the Headliners podcast, the actor expressed his gratitude for the sacrifices his parents made to send him to an independent school and praised the school for the opportunities he was given. By Michael Hennessey.

In her speech to delegates at the Conservative Party annual conference taking place in Manchester, education secretary Gillian Keegan will tell headteachers in England to ban pupils from using mobile phones during the entire school day under new government guidance. Ministers want pupils to be barred from using devices at break times as well as in class. By Chris Mason, BBC News. 

Members of the ISC team are at the Conservative Party Conference this week and will be keeping DNS readers updated via a daily video diary. Today, Julie Robinson explains that teacher recruitment has been the focus of a panel discussion involving a number of teaching unions and that colleagues have been having some useful discussions on behalf of independent schools. We look forward to bringing you some coverage tomorrow from the ISC fringe session.

AQA is calling for the three Rs (presently reading, writing and ’rithmetic), to instead represent numeracy, literacy and digital fluency. The exam board wants to see reform of core qualifications and has suggested an element of video gaming in assessment. By Nicola Woolcock, The Times. 

Former education secretary Lord Baker of Dorking writes in The Times calling for an overhaul of schooling from 11-16. Lord Baker supports reducing GCSEs while increasing employability - particularly with regard to digital skills. 

Anne Longfield, the children’s commissioner for England during the pandemic, has said lockdowns have resulted in a surge in knife crime and pupil violence. Ahead of her evidence session at the Covid inquiry later this week, Ms Longfield told The Telegraph the increase in violence was a "huge danger sign". By Louisa Clarence-Smith.

The NAHT has called for anti-racism training for school staff to be made mandatory. Making its call at the start of Black History Month, the education leaders' union said there needs to be a “centralised, anti-racist approach to education” underpinned by staff training. By Aine Fox, The Independent. 

The Department for Education (DfE) is seeking to extend a £1 million package of mental health support for headteachers after the waiting list reportedly reached 200 earlier this year. Education Support offers six free professional supervision sessions for staff in assistant headteacher roles and ministers are now looking at extending the “tailored wellbeing support” when its contract ends in March. By Amy Walker, Schools Week. 

Luke Ramsden, senior deputy head at an independent school, takes a closer look at the new Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI) framework, in which a key element is a focus on pupil wellbeing and the school culture underpinning it. Mr Ramsden offers advice to school staff on how they can best demonstrate this work is taking place. Tes.

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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