In an interview with The Telegraph, Anthony Perry explains why he is campaigning against Labour's plan to impose VAT on independent school fees. Mr Perry, whose son has special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), outlines his concerns that the policy would require him to earn an extra £7,000 per year. He says: “This is not just about him, though. So many other children go to private schools for similar reasons, be it about faith or disability or if their families are in the military. Many parents make huge sacrifices and work several jobs to pay these fees. Why should they be punished more?” By Gwyneth Rees.

Children's minister David Johnston has told iNews that Labour’s flagship tax policy would “raise hardly any money” and suggests the shadow cabinet “need to get back to school”. Accusing Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer of spending the money "multiple times", Mr Johnston added: “I think what we’re hearing when we knock on doors and so on is that actually it’s something people can’t afford – an extra 20 per cent.” By Poppy Wood.

Rector of Hutchesons’ Grammar School Mike Martin has criticised Labour's tax policy, saying it would “lead to fewer families being able to educate their children" at his school and add to the financial pressures already facing local authorities. By Andrew Learmonth, The Herald. 

Amid the attendance crisis affecting schools in the UK, The Telegraph speaks to parents looking for solutions, including some who have decided to send their children to independent schools. A parent who moved their daughter to Wotton House International School is quoted extensively on why they chose the school. The need for more alternative provision for those children who are struggling to fit into mainstream schools is also explored in the article, which is accompanied by a graph showing the issue of persistent absenteeism across the developed world. By Fiona Cowood.

A survey for the youth mental health charity stem4 has found almost three in 10 secondary pupils are missing school because going makes them feel anxious. The findings suggest that some 28 per cent of 12 to 18-year-olds have not attended school for the last year due to anxiety, with experts saying poor mental wellbeing is a significant reason for the post-pandemic surge in school absenteeism. By Denis Campbell, The Guardian.

Shadow technology secretary Peter Kyle has said the Labour Party is “open-minded” about a potential ban on under-16s using social media sites following the murder of Brianna Ghey. Mr Kyle urged society to “get ahead of the curve” in protecting children online after it emerged that one of Brianna’s killers had watched murder and torture videos online. By Dominic Penna, The Telegraph. 

Gillian Keegan has said she is “really confident” the government's free extended childcare pledge would be delivered but that she could not “guarantee something in the future”. The education secretary told Trevor Phillips on Sky News that she is committed to making the workforce and investment available to “grow the places” for childcare that “I know parents are absolutely desperate for”. By Geraldine Scott, The Times.

Culture secretary Lucy Frazer has unveiled plans to ­involve leading artistic and sporting ­institutions in improving childcare in state schools, saying such provision must include activities more commonly seen in independent schools. In an interview with The Times, Ms Frazer said she is keen to ensure the activities on offer are as good as those available to parents who pay for their children’s after-school classes. By Oliver Wright.

An investigation by The Observer has found that Ofsted inspectors have been forced to “make up” evidence because the computer system they use to record inspections sometimes crashes, ­wiping all the data. The paper spoke to several current or recent inspectors on condition of anonymity who said issues such as this had been “common” for years. By Anna Fazackerley.

Britain’s top universities are to be investigated on the preferential treatment of foreign applicants on lower grades than those demanded of UK students. The Department for Education (DfE) and the board of Universities UK, which represents 142 higher education institutions, have launched separate investigations into the preferential treatment received by international students. By Jonathan Calvert and George Arbuthnott, The Sunday Times. 

A new apprenticeship degree being launched this autumn to address a recruitment crisis in schools will enable teenagers to work as trainee teachers in the classroom. Postgraduate teaching apprenticeships already exist but the DfE's new teacher degree apprenticeships would involve trainees as young as 18 being recruited alongside experienced teachers. By Caroline Wheeler, The Sunday Times. 

The Department for Transport (DfT) has announced that schools in England will be able to apply for grants to buy and install electric vehicle chargers, and then sell the energy back to motorists. State-funded schools will have access to a grant providing up to 75 per cent of the cost to install chargers. By Patrick Daly, Evening Standard.

Independent schools may apply for funding through the workplace charging scheme and the electric vehicle infrastructure grant for small to medium-sized enterprises. 

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.

Sign-up to the email service is available on our website.

Members can contact the ISC if they know in advance of news, letters or opinions that are likely to feature in the media, or are aware of existing coverage which they would like to see featured in the DNS.

Headlines and first-line summaries are written by the ISC with the link directing to the source material. You should read and comply with the terms and conditions of the websites to which we link.