In a House of Lords written question for the Treasury, Lord Botham asked ministers "what consideration they have given to differentiating between independent schools with (1) fewer than 200 pupils, and (2) more than 200 pupils, with regard to the imposition of VAT". The Lords Treasury Minister Lord Livermore replied: "Ending tax breaks for private schools will secure additional funding to help the government deliver its commitments to the 94% of children who attend state schools. The Government has published a detailed response to the consultation conducted between July and September. The Government carefully considered over 17,000 responses from a range of stakeholders including schools, school associations, and parents. This was published online and can be found on gov.uk."

During a House of Lords debate on defence programmes developments, Baroness Goldie (Conservative) raised questions over the government's VAT on fees policy, saying: "What impact is the imposition of VAT on school fees going to have on our Armed Forces? We do not know. Is it going to impact on recruitment? We do not know."

The House of Commons yesterday held the second reading of the Non-Domestic Rating (Multipliers and Private Schools) Bill, which would remove the charitable business rates exemption from eligible independent schools in England - with protection for those "wholly or mainly" educating pupils with education, health and care plans (EHCPs). Hansard.

In a letter to The Times, principal and CEO of Stamford School Mark Steed welcomes calls for education reform but urges ministers to go further by also reviewing assessment methods and moving away from the traditional focus on teaching "what we can examine". Mr Steed says: "If we are serious about fostering creativity, teamwork and problem solving we should adopt alternative models, such as student portfolios, that capture learning using a full range of digital media." The letter is the third featured on the page.

The National Education Union (NEU) has called for an end to "high-pressure" tests for primary school children and a reduction in the number of end-of-course exams for GCSEs and A levels. In its submission to the government’s call for evidence for the curriculum and assessment review, the union said it would also like the English Baccalaureate (EBacc) to be scrapped. By Eleanor Busby, The Independent. 

The crisis in special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) provision has left children vulnerable to criminal and sexual exploitation, experts have warned. In 2023, 7,432 children were referred to the National Referral Mechanism, the framework for identifying trafficking and modern slavery victims in England and Wales. According to research funded by the Modern Slavery and Human Rights Policy and Evidence Centre, a “high proportion” of such cases involved young people with SEND. By Chris Osuh, The Guardian.

Wales Online reports that Cardiff Sixth Form College has been named Boarding School of the Year at the Independent Schools Association’s (ISA) 2024 Awards. The school, which has campuses in Cardiff and Cambridge, was also recognised as the Independent School of the Year for international student experience. Commenting on the award, college principal Tom Arrand said: "This prestigious achievement honours the commitment and dedication of all of our boarding staff who work tirelessly throughout the year to ensure our boarders are superbly cared for and supported." Reference is made to data from the Independent Schools Council (ISC), and several other schools in membership of the ISC's constituent associations are mentioned. By Abbie Wightwick.

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