Speaking to Independent School Management Plus, Dominic Norrish, chief executive of the Independent Association of Prep Schools (IAPS) discussed Labour's pledge to add VAT to independent school fees. He said: “It is uncontroversial to note that most headteachers feel quite oppressed by this… they feel attacked, and why wouldn’t they? This appears to be a somewhat ideologically motivated swipe.” Mr Norrish highlighted the challenges faced by headteachers, and expressed concern over the impact the policy could have on the wellbeing of children who could be forced to move schools. By Irena Barker. 

Michelle Catterson, head of Moon Hall School in Reigate, was interviewed by Sky News on the consequences VAT on fees would have for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) attending her school. She said: "I really worry for those families that have already been through quite a traumatic time trying to get the right support and get their child into my school, that then it will become unaffordable for them. The misconception that all [who] send their children to private schools are affluent is simply not the case." Mrs Catterson also explained how an increase in demand for education, health and care plans (EHCPs) would impact on local authorities, and discussed how state schools would have to absorb children with SEND displaced from the independent sector. 

The Telegraph reports there is confusion over whether Labour would prevent parents from paying fees in advance before the VAT policy would come into effect. In January, shadow education secretary Bridget Phillipson implied that Labour would block parents from paying in advance to avoid the tax. But Peter Kyle, the shadow science secretary, made no commitments beyond the headline pledge of adding VAT to fees when asked about the party's plans on Tuesday. By Amy Gibbons.

Experts have warned parents that there is a "high risk" that advance fee payments will be subject to tax under Labour's policy. Emma Thompson, partner at law firm Thackray Williams, said: “The schemes I’ve seen and assisted schools drafting [contracts] reserves the right to get parents to go back and pay the VAT because the school morally and ethically does not want to be seen doing anything which amounts to tax avoidance.” By Pieter Snepvangers, The Telegraph.

A claim that 224,000 independent school pupils would leave the sector if a Labour government imposed 20 per cent VAT on fees is "too high" and "not statistically representative", according to the consultants behind the study it was based on. Baines Cutler are understood to be concerned about the way their findings were presented in a national newspaper, telling tax lawyer Dan Neidle that the data "was never designed to be grossed up to the entire population of pupils", adding: "The 224,000 number has never been published anywhere in our reports and is in our eyes too high for many reasons." The study was based on self-selecting parent surveys conducted over the course of two years. By Connie Dimsdale, iNews.

Parents of children at independent schools should not be “gaming” the education system to protest against Labour’s policy of VAT on school fees, Anas Sarwar has said. The Scottish Labour leader was responding to reports that parents in an Edinburgh campaign group are planning to sign up their children for state schools, even if they do not intend to take up the place. The Herald.

Rachel Reeves has attempted to reassure parents in Edinburgh, where around a quarter of children are independently educated, that they may not have to bear the full cost of Labour’s decision to impose VAT on fees. Speaking during a General Election campaign stop in the city, the shadow chancellor insisted that many schools would not "pass on the full cost to parents". The Scottish Council of Independent Schools (SCIS) has warned that the impact of VAT would be "disproportionately felt in Scotland" where average incomes are lower, with Lorraine Davidson, the SCIS chief executive, adding: “Scottish independent schools have had to cope with significantly higher operating costs following increases to teacher pay and pensions and utility bills.” By Simon Johnson, The Telegraph.

The increased cost of living and teacher pay rises are the "main drivers" forcing schools to make cuts, according to a new report from the National Foundation for Educational Research. The study also identified large increases in the proportion of school staff reporting issues accessing the mental health and special educational needs support their children need, and found that a third of primaries are having to make savings due to falling pupil numbers. By Freddie Whittaker, Schools Week. 

Children in the UK and Ireland are reading fewer books than they did last year, a new report has found, with post-Covid school absences and a lack of dedicated reading time contributing to lower reading abilities. According to the survey of more than 1.2 million pupils across the UK and Ireland, there has been a 4.4% decrease in the number of books read by pupils and a "sharp drop" in the difficulty of those read by older secondary students. By Lucy Knight, The Guardian. 

Internet addiction rewires teenagers' brains and could make them more likely to engage in other addictive behaviour, according to research published in the PLOS Mental Health journal. The findings suggest that internet addiction is associated with disrupted signalling in the regions of the brain related to controlling attention and understanding emotions. By Colin Fernandez, Daily Mail. 

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