Miles Briggs, the Conservative MSP for Lothian, has accused Labour and the SNP of waging “class warfare by another name” over its plan to tax independent school fees, adding: “The unintended consequences for state schools would be considerable in a city where some secondary schools are bursting at the seams.”

The article quotes two independent school headteachers and Lorraine Davidson, the chief executive officer of the Scottish Council of Independent Schools, who said: “The independent school sector in Scotland already works in partnership with many state schools and we are keen to do more. We would welcome a discussion with politicians of all parties about how we can work together for the benefit of children and young people in Scotland.” By John Boothman, The Times.

An official list of Scottish schools with RAAC has been published in Tes. 10 universities in Scotland have also closed or partly closed some buildings. By Henry Hepburn. 

An Observer investigation has found the government did not always carry out detailed surveys before purchasing sites for free schools. Freedom of information requests have revealed the surveys, which would have flagged issues such as asbestos and unstable concrete, were not conducted in some cases. By Anna Fazackerley.

Scientists have spoken to The Sunday Times about schools and other public buildings in Essex where individuals raised concerns about cracked concrete ceilings some 30 years ago. An image accompanies the article (below halfway), explaining how RAAC can fail. By Martina Lees and Glen Keogh.

Education secretary Gillian Keegan is set to send a team of officials to Birmingham to give direct support to headteachers whose sites have been affected. The Telegraph understands the city has emerged as a top concern and could require the deployment of extra support teams due to the current plight of the Labour-run council.

According to The Telegraph. education secretary Gillian Keegan is facing a backlash from Conservative ministers and parents for refusing to publish sex education reform recommendations. Ms Keegan reportedly has no plans to reveal the outcome of a sex education review by an independent panel, appointed by ministers to advise on age ratings on lesson materials. By Louisa Clarence-Smith.

The prime minister has suggested British pupils should study maths until they are 18 to keep up with future economic powerhouses such as India. Rishi Sunak said India’s rapid growth is partly down to an “abundance” of skills in science, maths and engineering, and suggested the UK was lagging behind as “one of the few countries in the world” that allows children to stop learning maths at 16. By Arj Singh, iNews.

Will Goldsmith, headteacher of Bedales School, has announced that pupils at the school will now sit GCSEs in only two subjects – English language and maths – and more subjects will move over to the school’s alternative courses. Speaking to The Telegraph, Mr Goldsmith said: "Having looked at the education landscape – and particularly looking to the future – we feel very much that GCSEs are outdated and no longer fit for purpose.” The article references Latymer Upper School, which is also reportedly considering reducing to two GCSEs.

Vicky Bingham, the incoming head of North London Collegiate School (NLCS), has suggested that pupils should be encouraged to use artificial intelligence (AI) to help with their homework. Ms Bingham said she believes that fears over children using tools such as the chatbot ChatGPT have been “exaggerated”, adding: “I think probably the question we ought to be asking ourselves is are enough of our children using ChatGPT intelligently to support them in their learning.” By Catherine Lough and Louisa Clarence-Smith, The Telegraph.

Schools in northern England are missing out on hundreds of pounds of funding per pupil compared to those in London, according to analysis for the Child of the North All-Party Parliamentary Group. The figures suggest that, on average, pupils in London have received 9.7 per cent more funding than those in the North. The Telegraph.

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