The government’s decision to tax independent education could have a "seismic impact on girls’ life chances", the president of the Girls' Schools Association (GSA) has warned. Speaking at the GSA's conference in Manchester, Mrs Hutchinson, who is also head of James Allen’s Girls’ School, said the policy "is forcing stark and unfair choices upon hard-working families". Donna Stevens, chief executive of the GSA, added: "We are at a pivotal moment in girls' education and we need to collectively stand up to protect girls' schools." Eleanor Busby, The Independent.

Labour's plan to add VAT to independent school fees may lead to fewer women in male-dominated industries, the GSA has said. Donna Stevens, chief executive of the Girls' Schools Association, said that if there are fewer girls' schools in the UK, the “obvious hypothesis” would be that fewer women will go into “male-dominated careers” as "research shows that girls in girls’ schools are more likely to be in those [industries]". Ms Stevens continued: “Because of the fact that girls’ schools are more prevalent in the independent sector than the state sector, the girls’ school sector will shrink overall and the co-ed sector will grow, so therefore the choice will be eroded for girls.” By Connie Dimsdale, iNews.

The headmaster of Stowe School has said independent school parents should be "applauded" rather than punished for "relieving the state" of paying for their children's education. Speaking at the Independent Schools Show, Dr Anthony Wallersteiner warned that the policy is harming diversity in education and creating "an unjustified barrier to parental choice". By Tom Lawrence, Daily Mail.

Speaking to Sky News, concerned parent Liana Fricker says it will no longer be "viable" for her sons to attend independent school after the government imposes VAT on fees. Ms Fricker, who has two sons who are diagnosed with ADHD, says she is considering moving back to the United States, where she believes her family would have more choice. Her children are among thousands of independent school pupils who may be displaced by the policy. By Faith Ridler.

In a written question for the Ministry of Defence (MoD), Conservative MP for Gosport Dame Caroline Dinenage asked the secretary of state for defence "what plans he has to review the cap on Continuity of Education Allowance in (a) 2024/25, (b) 2025/26, (c) 2026/27, (d) 2027/28 and (e) 2028/29". In response, minister for veterans and people Alistair Carns said: "Following the Budget statement by the Chancellor on 30 October 2024, the MoD confirmed that it would carry out an in-year re-rating of CEA. There are no plans to change the current annual CEA rating cycle in subsequent academic years."

Adam Dance, Liberal Democrat MP for Yeovil, asked the secretary of state for education "what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the application of the standard VAT rate to independent schools on the teaching of (a) music and (b) the arts in such schools; and if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of providing support to such schools for such teaching". Responding, parliamentary under-secretary (Department for Education) Stephen Morgan said: "As set out in HMT's response to the technical consultation in the VAT changes, performing arts schools that offer full-time education to children of compulsory school age and/or 16 to 19-year-olds for a charge will remain in scope of this policy. This is to ensure fairness and consistency across all schools that provide education services and vocational training for a charge [...] The department provides means-tested bursaries for eligible families as part of the Music and Dance Scheme (MDS) if their child has a place at any one of eight performing arts private schools. For the 2024/25 academic year, lower income families will receive additional support to ensure the total cost of their parental contributions do not rise from January 2025 as a result of the VAT change. This will benefit around half of the families with an MDS bursary for their child."

In a separate question for the Treasury, Adam Dance asked the Chancellor "what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the application of the standard VAT rate to services provided by private schools on small private schools". In response, Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury James Murray said: "The government has conducted thorough and detailed analysis of the impacts of this policy. A Tax Impact and Information Note (TIIN) has been published which sets out this analysis. This assessment includes exchequer impacts, economic impacts, impacts on individuals and families, business impacts, equalities impacts, and HMRC operational impacts. This was published online and can be found here: Private school fees — VAT measure - GOV.UK." Hansard.

Children with complex special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) are attending independent schools up to 200 miles away from home because there is not enough capacity in the state system, a BBC investigation has found. Councils are relying more on independent providers and paying millions of pounds to meet the educational needs of children with SEND as they struggle to keep up with demand. Headteachers say government funding has not kept pace with this demand, meaning both special and mainstream schools are struggling to cope. Martin Hanbury, a newly retired headteacher, said: "The system has burst. We have to make a decision as a society as to whether we want to educate these young people in the same way as they do in mainstream and more privileged schools." By Scott Hesketh. 

New research reveals there is a geographical mismatch between capacity and demand for 100,000 new nursery places proposed by the government. The research by Frontier Economics (FE) has cast doubt on the viability of the policy. FE says London is the only region where spare reception space will meet and could exceed additional demand for nursery places. Elsewhere, only a small proportion of projected demand will be met by spare capacity. Dr Gillian Paull, who led the research, said: “Our analysis shows that the government’s current plan to use spare capacity in primary schools to deliver new nursery targets is unlikely to work. Even with full utilisation of spare capacity, the poor geographic match with new nursery demand leaves some areas falling well short.” Sally Weale, The Guardian. 

Schools in England should be banned from giving pupils cakes or biscuits as part of their lunch because they contain too much sugar, according to food campaigners. Action on Sugar wants ministers to revise school guidance on the nutritional content of the meals they serve to restrict sugary snacks. Dr Kawther Hashem, Action on Sugar’s head of research and impact, said: “We have a duty to every child to make every school a sanctuary from unnecessary sugar, so they can grow up healthier, stronger and free from the risks of diet-related disease.” By Denis Campbell, The Guardian.

As SpaceX prepares to launch Starship's sixth flight test, Putney High School GDST head Jo Sharrock discusses the importance of studying emerging technologies, the opportunities and threats posed by space exploration, and how her school is preparing students to become key players in these fields. 

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