Sir Keir Starmer has said that recently announced independent school closures have “nothing to do” with his party's plan to add VAT to fees. Answering questions at a campaign event in Bury, the Labour leader added that "hundreds of private schools have closed over the last 14 years". A spokesman for the Independent Schools Council (ISC) is quoted in the Daily Mail, saying: "While it is true that a number of economic factors are coming to bear on independent schools, the threat of VAT on parents' fees and the effect this is having on demand cannot be dismissed. This is evident in the fact that the fall in new pupils this academic year was the highest it has been since 2011, with heads telling us that VAT is very much at the forefront of parents' minds as they make long-term decisions about their children's education." Reiterating the ISC's fears over the policy, they added: "We are particularly concerned about the unintended consequences of this policy, including adding further demand on a SEND system that is already in crisis." By Claire Ellicot. The story is also covered by By Amy Gibbons and Jack Maidment for The Telegraph.

Writing in The Telegraph, former high master of St Paul’s School Martin Stephen says Labour's tax policy will "make it even harder for parents on average incomes to send their children to independent schools". Mr Stephen highlights the success of the London Academy of Excellence, of which he was a governor, saying it has "achieved everything a Labour government could wish for in state education". Concluding his letter, Mr Stephen asks: "Why cannot Labour see that co-operation with the independent sector is a far better way forward for the children of the UK and their parents than seeking to kill it?"

Alan Walker, a former chair of governors at Reigate Grammar School, has a letter published in The Telegraph expressing his disappointment at the “lack of empathy and foresight shown by Sir Keir Starmer – an old boy [of Reigate Grammar] – in his VAT attack on private schools”. Mr Walker warns that Labour’s policy will deny present-day students the opportunities offered to Sir Keir, and highlights the threat posed to bursary provision. The letter is last on the page.

The Scotsman also features a letter from a reader concerned about the implications of Labour's tax policy. He writes: "Watching the likes of Yvette Cooper being unable to answer basic questions about the implications for pupils and parents as a result of imposing VAT on private school fees demonstrates the lack of consequential thinking and so the implications of such a policy." The letter appears at the top of the page.

Analysis of school spending by the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) has revealed that spending on each schoolchild’s education in England has stayed the same as when the Conservatives came to power in 2010. In a report that is intended to inform debate in the lead-up to the General Election, the IFS also flagged that the government has allocated 40 per cent less than its own assessment of how much is required to ensure school buildings are adequately maintained. By Sally Weale, The Guardian. 

The NEU has laid out its demands for the next government, which include free school meals for all pupils, an end to mandatory primary testing, and special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) support reform. Tes outlines the 10 policy areas the education union has identified as in need of “urgent attention” going forward. By Cerys Turner. 

Pupils' futures are being “put at risk” as the number enjoying writing in their spare time has plummeted to an “unprecedented low”, the National Literacy Trust (NLT) has warned. According to the charity, the number of children and young people who said they enjoy writing in their free time has fallen to the lowest point since the NLT's survey started 14 years ago. By Jasmine Norden, Tes. 

Plans to reduce the length of school summer holidays in Wales have been postponed until after the next Welsh Parliament election, with teaching groups calling the proposal "a waste of time". Education secretary Lynne Neagle said delaying the change until the next Senedd term would enable school leaders to focus on other major improvements. By Bethan Lewis, BBC News.

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