In an interview with The Sunday Telegraph, Bridget Phillipson said she never considered an independent school for her children. The shadow education secretary also admitted she has not carried out any “official” visits to independent schools, despite being in her role for nearly two years. By Edward Malnick. An article in the Daily Mail also reports on Ms Phillipson's remarks, which have prompted accusations that members of the Labour Party believe independent school pupils "don't matter at all". Andrew Lewer, a member of the Education Select Committee and chair of the APPG for Independent Education, said: "Can you imagine a politician proposing such massive changes to any other part of the economy or society without even bothering to engage with it in any serious way? It clearly underlines that Labour's education policies are driven by spite and the politics of envy." By Kumail Jaffer.

According to a poll for iNews by BMG Research, of the 1,500 British adults surveyed, 49% support the idea of “adding VAT to private school tuition fees to raise money for state school education”. This has prompted the Labour Party to claim its pledge to tax independent school fees has "wide public support". By Hugo Gye. 

Education sector experts have told Tes that exemptions for activities held after core hours and legal rules applying to long-term boarders could help independent schools to lower their tax burden should Labour's tax plans come into effect. Some tax experts are warning that creating such a complex system, in which some parts of the school day are taxed and others are not, may cause problems for Labour when deciding how broad the policy will be. The article quotes Julie Robinson, chief executive of the Independent Schools Council (ISC), David Walker, director of the Boarding Schools’ Association (BSA), and a number of independent school leaders. By Cerys Turner. 

Dr Helen Wright has warned that some independent girls’ schools will be forced to close as a result of of Labour’s plan to charge VAT on fees. The former independent school head and former Girls Schools' Association (GSA) president said single-sex schools do not have “magic money pots” to help protect parents from fee rises. The article references two girls' schools that are either preparing to admit boys or close altogether. By Louisa Clarence-Smith, The Telegraph.

In an opinion piece for The Guardian, Rebecca Boden looks in detail at the history of independent schools and taxation. Reference is made to the Independent Schools Council (ISC). Ms Boden, a former professor of new social research in Finland who is presently researching independent schools and tax advantage, argues: "Labour’s plans are a good first step, but there is now an indisputable case for removal of all tax privileges."

Writing to The Guardian, a number of readers comment on the Labour Party's plans to add VAT to independent school fees. 

In today's video diary from the ISC team attending Labour's annual conference, Julie Robinson says that with the party's tax policy continuing to make the headlines, it has been particularly important for the ISC to actively represent the views of independent schools at the conference this year. Members of the team have already been able to meet with Lord Jim Knight and Niamh Sweeney from the National Education Union (NEU) and have taken part in some lively tax policy debates. In tomorrow's diary, we look forward to bringing you an update from the ISC's fringe event and messages from heads who are also at the conference.

The Metropolitan police are failing in their efforts to protect children from criminal and sexual exploitation, an official report has found. The policing inspectorate, which authored the report, said it was also concerned with “the frequency with which officers and staff use victim-blaming language”. By Vikram Dodd, The Guardian.

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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