Writing in iNews, head of Mill Hill School David Benson speaks of the "very significant pressures" facing state schools, which include the recruitment and retention of staff, challenges with pupils’ behaviour and safeguarding. Reflecting on his own experience of working in both education sectors, Mr Benson writes: "As a state school head, I sat in hundreds of meetings with fellow state school leaders. In every single one the need for more funding was raised. However, at no point did anyone suggest the thing to do was tax our independent neighbours." Detailing the numerous reciprocal partnerships that he has been involved with, Mr Benson says: "Independent schools add very significant value to the wider education system, and we should be cautious about eroding their ability to do so."

In an article for CapX, David James, deputy head at an independent school in London, examines Labour's tax policy and its potential effect on independent and state schools. Outlining his views, Mr James warns that "the supposed gains that this new tax on parental ambition is supposed to bring are deeply questionable". He concludes: "One thing’s for certain, you can’t have a sector thrive if its already thin margins evaporate. Schools will close, jobs will be lost, state schools will, again, pick up the mess of poor policy."

The Labour Party's proposal to impose VAT on fees would put bursaries at independent schools under threat, the former headmaster of Winchester College has warned. Tim Hands, who had previously been head at The Portsmouth Grammar School and Magdalen College School, said the move would mean independent schools have “less money” to subsidise the cost of tuition. Speaking to The Telegraph, Mr Hands said: "This measure is not going to encourage social mobility but the reverse." The paper reports that it has been contacted by numerous parents who say they are fearful of the impacts the policy could have on bursary funding at independent schools. Referencing their own bursary experience, one said: “It pains me to say that if Labour imposed this VAT charge, private schools would reduce the amount of bursary they offered. This pains me because as a former bursary beneficiary, those three years I got from the school were the best few years of my life which changed me and enabled me to achieve greater things.” By Noah Eastwood.

In an opinion piece for City AM, journalist and media strategy director Simon Neville explores the potential impact of Labour's tax plans and argues the focus should be on "making state education aspirational".

As part of its 'Life under Labour' series, The Guardian reviews Sir Keir Starmer's five key political missions. The paper talks to a number of education experts about some of the challenges facing schools and outlines Labour's plans to impose VAT on fees. By Sally Weale.

Jessie Hewitson, contributing money editor at iNews, shares her experience of having two children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) in order to highlight the financial pressures facing families in a similar position. The solution, she suggests, would be to "design and build schools and an education system [...] with the needs of neurodivergent and other disabled children foremost". 

The number of girls in England studying for a GCSE in computing has more than halved in less than 10 years, prompting warnings about the “dominance of men in shaping the modern world”. The sharp fall in female participation follows government qualification changes that led to the abolition of the old information communication technology (ICT) GCSE and its replacement with a new computer science GCSE. In 2015 43 per cent of candidates for ICT GCSE were female, compared with just 21 per cent of those who took GCSE computer science in 2023. By Sally Weale, The Guardian. 

Exams answered using artificial intelligence (AI) can not only evade detection but also earn higher grades than those submitted by pupils, a real-world test by Reading’s School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences has found. The research also showed that even experienced markers could struggle to detect answers generated by AI. Associate professor Peter Scarfe, who led the team conducting the study, said the findings should serve as a "wake-up call" for universities. By Nilima Marshall, The Independent. 

At least 1.5 million pupils are struggling to engage in learning every week, according to a report by exam board Pearson. Most classroom teachers (97 per cent) said they had witnessed children having difficulty engaging in learning, which was found to be particularly pronounced at secondary level. In response to the question of how pupil disengagement could be combatted, 85 per cent of teachers said the provision of additional staff would help most. By Jasmine Norden, Tes.

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