Following prime minister Rishi Sunak's announcement yesterday that a General Election will be held on Thursday 4 July, Tes looks at look at the main political parties’ plans for schools should they win power. Independent schools, Ofsted's future and plans for curriculum reform are among the parties' priorities. The paper states that "arguably, [Labour's] most high-profile education policy is the pledge to apply 20 per cent VAT to private schools, which has been met with concerns from the independent sector". Mr Sunak has accused Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer of wanting to “punish” the parents of pupils at independent schools. The Liberal Democrats has said it does not support Labour's tax policy, although it would support a review of independent schools’ charitable status. By Cerys Turner.

Schools Week has also published a summary of the main parties' education policies, with a section looking at teachers' views of Labour's proposals. A recent Teacher Tapp poll is cited, which found Labour's pledges on mental health to be popular among the profession. The only policy with large disagreement between some teachers was the party’s plan to charge VAT on independent school fees. By Freddie Whittaker. 

Writing in Independent School Management Plus, master of Magdalen College School Helen Pike responds to Professor Mike Harris's recent suggestion that, instead of taxing independent school fees, more bursary places should be offered. Ms Pike analyses the options and says: "If Harris’s idea became policy, some schools would heave a sigh of relief and be VAT-free, while some would feel caught between the rock of not being wealthy enough to give the support they’d dearly love to, and the hard place of facing cuts or closure owing to VAT." She adds: "Many, however, would find themselves somewhere in between, and that opens some interesting avenues of thought." Reference is made to figures from the ISC's annual census.

A reader has written to The Telegraph calling for Labour to clarify its tax policy for independent schools. He warns of the pressure such a policy would place on state schools, which will "rapidly negate any benefit from the extra teachers, even if they can be found". The letter appears below half-way.

Research by the World Health Organisation suggests British children are among the least active in the world as daily exercise “largely disappears from young people’s lives”. Covering 44 countries, the study found that England, Wales and Scotland perform poorly on markers such as day-to-day exercise, with middle-class children in the UK significantly more likely to eat well and exercise than those from poorer backgrounds. By Eleanor Hayward, The Times. 

As part of Safeguarding Awareness Week, education lawyer Vicky Wilson advises schools on how to manage online safeguarding incidents that occur off the premises. Emphasising the importance of having clear policies in this area, Ms Wilson also writes that "involving parents in online safeguarding issues should be done in a sensitive and supportive way". Tes.

St Albans in Hertfordshire is attempting to become the first UK city to go smartphone-free for all children under 14 in a move that campaigners hope will have a domino effect across the country. Headteachers in over 30 local primary schools have declared their schools smartphone-free and are urging parents to delay giving their children a smartphone. By Sally Weale, The Guardian.

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