Ofsted's grade categories of Outstanding, Good, Requires Improvement and Inadequate will no longer be issued to schools in England. The inspectorate will still evaluate schools against the same standards, and reports will continue to provide details on specific aspects of how a school is performing. The government has said the change was needed to reduce the high stakes for schools and give parents a better picture of their child's school. By Branwen Jeffreys and Nathan Standley, BBC News. 

Schools Week outlines what schools need to know about the decision to scrap Ofsted's headline grades. By Freddie Whittaker. 

The government's plan to add VAT to independent schools' fees and scrap business rate reliefs for those that have them risk costing the taxpayer up to £1.8 billion, a new report has found. According to the Adam Smith Institute, at least some of the parents unable to afford higher fees are likely to work less, retire early or even quit working immediately. The think tank found that if two-fifths of the money these parents earn - or the hours they work to cover school fees - was instead taken as leisure, it could cost the Treasury between £360 million and £1.81 billion. By Dominic Penna and Poppy Wood, The Telegraph. 

Parents are already turning down independent school places ahead of the implementation of VAT on fees, school leaders and education experts have warned. According to research by education consultants Anglo Schools International Services (ASIS), smaller independent schools already struggling financially had seen 27 per cent of parents turn down places for their children by the end of July, up from the usual figure of 10-15 per cent. David Boddy, chair of ASIS, said: "Parents are realising the VAT shock is not a problem to come, this is a problem now – and unless they make a move now, they could well miss out on a state school place." Julie Robinson, CEO of the Independent Schools Council (ISC), is quoted, warning that "thousands of children face having their education disrupted" as a result of the tax changes. The heads of several schools in membership of the ISC's constituent associations are also quoted. By Tara Cobham, The Independent. 

The Sunday Times features an in-depth article on the extent to which fees could rise as a result of the VAT policy, and the impact this would have on families. ISC CEO Julie Robinson is quoted, saying: "Some schools will be able to absorb part of the extra cost, but others will have no choice but to pass on the full 20 per cent increase to parents. We are already hearing stories of parents facing the prospect of moving their children mid-year, not being able to find local state provision or relying on loans to mitigate the effects of VAT on their fees." By Lily Russell-Jones.

Data from the ISC has found that 49.7 per cent of entries at a sample of 222 member schools were graded a level 8 or 9, equivalent to an A* under the old grading system. Overall, 97.1 per cent of all GCSEs at the schools were graded the equivalent of A* to C, compared with 67.6 per cent across the country. By George Willoughby and Emma Yeomans, The Times. 

Sir Ian Bauckham, chief regulator at Ofqual, has said plans for digital exams should be treated with "extreme caution", citing "weak" Wi-Fi systems, connectivity and security at a number of state schools. His comments come after three major exam boards in England laid out their proposals to introduce on-screen assessments, which are subject to regulatory approval by Ofqual. By Eleanor Busby, The Independent.  

In the lead-up to the start of the new academic year, education secretary Bridget Phillipson writes in The Sunday Times on the importance of children attending school regularly. Describing the scale of persistent absence across the country as "an emergency", she outlines the steps the government is taking to improve school attendance. She writes: "Our support-first approach is the right one. But where it doesn't work, I am prepared to be tough - and that includes supporting local authorities and schools to issue fines." 

David Game College is opening the UK's first "teacherless" GCSE class this month, where students will learn using a mixture of artificial intelligence (AI) platforms and virtual reality headsets. "Learning coaches" will be on hand to monitor behaviour, offer support, and teach the subjects AI currently struggles with, such as art and sex education. John Dalton, the school's co-principal, explained how AI's precision and accuracy is useful for conducting continuous evaluation, adding: "Ultimately, if you really want to know exactly why a child is not learning, I think the AI systems can pinpoint that more effectively." By Mickey Carroll, Sky News. 

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