In a written question for the Treasury, Conservative MP for East Hampshire Damian Hinds asked the Chancellor "if she will make an estimate of the potential impact of the costs of (a) VAT, (b) employers' National Insurance contributions, (c) employer contributions to the Teachers' Pension Scheme and (d) business rates for independent schools on the number of children educated in the (i) independent and (ii) state sectors". 

In response, Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury James Murray said: "A TIIN [Tax Information and Impact Note] assessing the impacts of applying VAT to private school fees has been published online and can be found here: Private school fees — VAT measure - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). Details of the changes to business rates charitable rate relief and changes to employer National Insurance contributions (NICs) were outlined at Budget. Notes on the general impacts of these measures will be published in due course alongside the respective legislation when it is introduced to Parliament." Hansard.

A new report suggests class “inequalities” persist in creative industries in the UK where high-profile figures are more likely to have gone to independent schools and top universities. According to data from the Sutton Trust, 43 per cent of top classical musicians went to an independent school - six times higher than the UK average of 7 per cent - and Bafta nominated actors are five times more likely to have attended an independent school than the average population. The report also found that among those aged 35 and under, individuals from working-class backgrounds are around four times less likely to work in the creative industries compared to their middle-class peers. A spokesperson for the Independent Schools Council (ISC) said: “Many independent schools provide life-changing opportunities for talented youngsters under the government’s Music and Dance Scheme. These and other schools that emphasise the arts work in partnership with their local state schools and community to ensure more young people can experience and study dance, drama and music. We are very concerned that the government’s blanket approach to taxing education will reduce opportunities for pupils in both state and independent schools to access the arts.” Eleanor Busby, The Independent. 

Katie Prescott, technology business editor at The Times, writes about the UK's growing investment in educational technology and the "enormous" potential of artificial intelligence (AI) to reduce the admin load of teachers. She highlights how, according to a survey by Teacher Tapp, the proportion of educators who say they have used AI in the last week has increased from 20 per cent to 31 per cent over the last six months. Commenting on the creation of an education "content store" - a database of information designed to help build time-saving tools for the classroom - Ms Prescott says: "There will be amazing implications but we never want to ditch the hand that ultimately holds the red pen."  

Dame Christine Lenehan, who was appointed at ministers' "strategic adviser" on SEND last week, has said clarity is needed over the future of the statutory override - a mechanism that is currently keeping SEND deficits from bankrupting councils, but is due to expire in March 2026. Speaking at the County Council Network conference yesterday, she said: “My worry for that is it just dominates thinking. It stops us being creative, it stops us thinking what we need to do. All we think about is what’s going to happen… I’m not saying I know what that will be, but I’m saying it’s important we actually take it head on.” By Samantha Booth, Schools Week.

Approximately 300 schools across 10 regions in England have joined regional partnerships with the aim of improving teaching and educational outcomes. Supported by £700,000 in funding from the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF), these partnerships will prioritise pupils from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds. Each two-year partnership will be led by a local research school, backed by the EEF, collaborating with selected schools that promote the use of "evidence-informed education" in their communities. By Mark Gould, Tes. 

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