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Military families set to be exempt from VAT on fees
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Independent sector
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Military families are set to receive extra help to ensure they are not affected by the government's VAT on fees policy, according to The Independent. Diplomats and service personnel already receive fee assistance through the Continuity of Education Allowance, and it is understood they will be given additional support as part of a package to be announced in the Budget. By Kate Devlin.
Bridget Phillipson has confirmed that children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) who do not have an education, health and care plan (EHCP) will be subject to VAT on fees. In an interview with Laura Kuenssberg yesterday, the education secretary said: "We have to draw the line, and that is where we draw the line." By Amy Gibbons, The Telegraph.
Emma Rattigan, founder of the Edinburgh Montessori Arts School, has criticised the decision to tax the fees of mixed-age nursery classes. Her school's nursery, like other Montessori settings, is built upon a three-year mixed age grouping. Speaking to The Scotsman, she said: "This is our whole model, and it is very directly discriminating against us in that respect. The VAT policy is also really discriminating against kids with disabilities because the highest proportion of children that are deferring for an extra year of nursery are children on the autism spectrum with ADHD, or with other disabilities, which may or may not be recognised at that age." The article references the Scottish Council of Independent Schools' (SCIS) submission to the government's consultation on the tax change, which warned the impact of the policy in Scotland had not been properly considered. By Calum Ross.
Matthew Ball, a principal dancer at the Royal Ballet and Opera and principal of The Purcell School for Young Musicians, has warned that the tax policy will close down opportunities for the next generation of Billy Elliots. The school is among those participating in the government's Music and Dance Scheme (MDS), which provides fee assistance to ensure pupils are selected on talent rather than ability to pay. Speaking to The Times, Mr Ball warned: "The danger is that we find ourselves in the position where those families who are currently being supported by the [MDS] can no longer afford to access it which is ironic given that one of the objectives of this policy is to break down barriers to opportunity." By David Sanderson.
Miguel Berger and Hélène Duchêne, the German and French ambassadors, have warned that imposing VAT on UK international schools could force hundreds of their pupils to leave. The envoys have called for these schools to be exempt from the tax plans, warning of the potential for cultural fallout and business risks. By Georgia Lambert and Nicola Woolcock, The Times.
The Guardian reports there has been no apparent increase in the number of independent schools closing since Labour announced its plan to impose VAT on fees. Data from a government register of independent schools in England shows that an average of 85 schools have closed each year from 2013 to 2023. The 2024 data, which goes up to 6 October, shows that 46 schools have closed, with 77 opening. By Peter Walker.
Writing in the Daily Mail, Conservative leadership contender Kemi Badenoch has described Labour's education policy as "destructive", adding that its plan to add VAT to fees "won't raise a penny". By David Churchill.
In a written question for the Treasury, Claire Hanna, Social Democratic & Labour Party MP for Belfast South and Mid Down, asked whether a comparative assessment had been made of boarding departments in English state schools and grant aided schools in Northern Ireland, in the context of the VAT policy. In response, Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury James Murray said: "Boarding at state schools is provided to parents at cost and is closely related to the supply of state education. The government therefore believes it is right that state boarding should continue to be exempt. HM Treasury have been engaging closely with the Northern Ireland Executive to understand how different schools in Northern Ireland will be impacted by this policy." Hansard.
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Parents left waiting for SEND tribunal hearings as disputes surge by 50%
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SEND
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Parents are having to wait more than a year for tribunal hearings into inadequate provision for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), amid a 50 per cent increase in the number of new cases. Maria Bloom of IPSEA, a SEND legal charity, said: "We hear from families every day through our helplines who are having to fight to secure the education their children need and are entitled to by law. With 98% of tribunal appeals finding in favour of families, it’s clear that local authorities are repeatedly failing to meet their legal obligations." By Chaminda Jayanetti, The Observer.
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Chancellor to pledge £1.4bn for crumbling schools and childcare
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Funding
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Rachel Reeves has promised £1.4 billion to rebuild crumbling schools and triple funding for free breakfast clubs, ahead of the Budget on Wednesday. Economists have claimed the funding will generally be used to keep existing schemes afloat rather than pay for new initiatives, and teachers have said much more is needed. Sky News.
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DfE strikes deal with data company to use AI for lesson plans and marking homework
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Artificial intelligence (AI)
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Data company Faculty AI has been awarded a £3 million contract by the Department for Education (DfE) to build a "content store" to pool information about the curriculum and anonymised pupil assessments. This data will be used to develop tools for teachers, such as artificial intelligence (AI) bots for marking homework or creating lesson plans. By Matthew Field, The Telegraph.
Anthony Seldon, founding director of Wellington College Education and author of The Fourth Education Revolution, writes in The Times warning of the risks AI poses to children and young people. He says the solution - as advocated by AI in Education, a group he co-founded with state school leader Alex Russell - "is for educators themselves to police and steer the introduction of AI to the classroom".
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English schools will no longer be graded on proportion of Russell Group students
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General education
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The Department for Education will no longer measure schools in England on how many of their pupils go on to study at Russell Group universities, in an effort to encourage school leavers to consider a wider range of institutions and vocational options. School performance tables will still include the proportion of students who progress to "high tariff" universities, as well as the percentage going on to universities, colleges or apprenticeships. By Richard Adams, The Guardian.
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Findings show 14,000 teachers called in sick each day last year
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Attendance
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Data from the DfE shows that about 2.5 million school days were lost in 2022-23 as more than 326,000 teachers missed class owing to sickness. Each teacher who took sick leave averaged eight days off work last year, which equates to almost 13,700 teachers calling in sick on any given day during the academic year. The findings come amid concerns that an absence crisis caused by the pandemic continues to disrupt learning, with the number of children missing school also significantly higher post-Covid. By Poppy Wood, The Telegraph.
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The Independent Schools Council (ISC) monitors the national and educational press in order to keep independent schools up-to-date with relevant education news. The DNS is a service primarily for schools in membership of ISC associations, although other interested parties can choose to sign-up. We endeavour to include relevant news and commentary and, wherever possible, notable public letters. Where capacity allows, we may include links to ISC blogs, press statements and information about school or association events. News stories are selected based on their relevance to the independent sector as a whole. Editorial control of the DNS remains solely with the ISC.
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Members can contact the ISC if they know in advance of news, letters or opinions that are likely to feature in the media, or are aware of existing coverage which they would like to see featured in the DNS.
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