The Times explores the areas in Scotland likely to be most affected by Labour's plan to add VAT to independent school fees. While there are enough spaces in state primaries and comprehensives for all of the nearly 29,000 students who are educated in Scotland, when examined at a local authority level, capacity is already stretched in a number of the communities where the most children who attend independent schools live. Education officials in Edinburgh are reportedly already "scenario-planning" for an influx of independent pupils into state schools; 9,300 pupils in the city attend fee-paying schools, and 70 per cent of its state schools are operating at 90 per cent, or higher, capacity. Lorraine Davidson, chief executive of the Scottish Council of Independent Schools (SCIS), said: "It is meaningless for families to be told there is overall capacity in the state system. For example there is a fourth-year pupil who has been told their nearest seven secondary schools in Edinburgh are full, and families in East Dunbartonshire have had to send their children to different state schools because of lack of places in certain year groups." By David Leask. 

An article in MoneyWeek considers the cost of moving house to be close to a good state school versus the cost of paying higher school fees under Labour's VAT policy. By Marc Shoffman. 

Jacqui Smith, who was schools minister under Tony Blair, is returning to government as a House of Lords peer covering higher education, further education and skills. Former shadow schools minister Catherine McKinnell has been appointed as education minister, though her brief is yet to be confirmed. Anneliese Dodds, former chair of the Labour Party, has joined the Department for Education (DfE) as minister of state for women and equalities. All three will work under Bridget Phillipson, who became the new education secretary last week. By Cerys Turner, Tes.

Damian Hinds, the former education secretary and schools minister, has been appointed as shadow education secretary in Rishi Sunak's caretaker opposition team. The new shadow team is only expected to remain in place until a new Conservative leader is elected. By Freddie Whittaker, Schools Week. 

Celia Walden writes in The Telegraph welcoming the decision of individual schools to prohibit the use of smartphones in classrooms, and calls for a mandatory country-wide ban. She writes: "We are already on the wrong side of history on this, with France, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands and other European countries all now having banned digital devices at school. Let’s not be remembered as the country that dragged its feet when it came to protecting its children." 

Lucy Heller, chief executive of the Ark Schools multi-academy trust (MAT), has called on the new Labour government to end the special educational needs and disabilities "arms race" whereby parents feel they have to "fight" for the support their child needs. Speaking at the Festival of Education, Tom Rees, chief executive of Ormiston Academies Trust, added that the sector needs to be better at providing "targeted and specialist support... the government needs to set about this quite early [and] make it a priority". By Matilda Martin, Tes. 

A "collaborative approach" to improving school attendance is more effective than "punitive" measures, according to a new study by research firm ImpactEd. The report advises schools to provide support to families of pupils with poor attendance records and foster a "sense of belonging" among students. By Matilda Martin, 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.

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.