iNews reports that some independent schools are considering the cost-cutting measures they must make in light of Labour's VAT policy, with some institutions left with no option but to make staff redundancies. The paper has learned that schools are reassessing costly projects, questioning whether they need new facilities to maintain educational standards while grappling with the financial strain. Chief executive of the Independent Schools Council (ISC) Julie Robinson warned that smaller schools will be the “hardest hit”, and expressed particular concern for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and those at faith schools. Ms Robinson said: “It is inevitable that these smaller independent schools, which are leaner and have been cutting back already to keep fees as low as possible for parents, will be the hardest hit by VAT as they will be the least able to absorb any of the cost.” By Connie Dimsdale.

Writing in the Daily Express, Lord Kempsell argues that the government must exempt the families of military personnel from its VAT policy since it could severely hinder their ability to send their children to boarding schools while serving abroad. Lord Kempsell emphasises the importance of the Continuity of Education Allowance (CEA) for military families and calls for chancellor Rachel Reeves to provide urgent clarity on the issue. He concludes: "Forces families are in the dark over whether this provision will be available for their children – just as the international security situation could boil over into war on multiple fronts." Lord Kempsell is a Conservative member of the House of Lords.

In an interview with iNews, a mother from Devon describes how the rising costs of Labour's VAT policy may mean she has to home-school her son, who has thrived in a small independent school after struggling in the state sector. Laura, whose son has ADHD, explains: "We can’t afford to keep him at the school but the local state school has more than 2,000 students in it. The idea of putting him there, with his anxiety, would be a disaster. He would be completely lost." By Eleanor Peake. 

Reuters speaks to Mark Manwaring-White, an electronics engineer whose daughter attends Malvern St James Girls' School, who says he will have to delay his retirement in order to continue paying for school fees under Labour's VAT policy. The article states that the parents of about 600,000 pupils who attend independent schools now face the decision of whether to accept paying higher fees or to move their children to state schools. By Sarah Young.

Cambridge International Education has announced it will be running digital exams in six subjects from June 2026, with a global rollout planned across the full range of Cambridge curricula. The education provider has said that by 2033, 85 per cent of its high-stakes qualifications will have a digital option. By Henry Hepburn, Tes.

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