State schools across dozens of councils have no available spaces in some year groups, raising concerns about their ability to handle the anticipated increase in demand as pupils are forced to move schools as a result of the government's VAT on fees policy. Figures obtained by The Times have revealed that at least 27 local authorities are already oversubscribed in certain age groups, spanning both rural and urban areas. Across England, Years 7 and 8 have the least capacity, meaning any surge in pupil numbers is expected to put the greatest strain on secondary education. Speaking to the paper, Julie Robinson, chief executive of the Independent Schools Council (ISC), said concern remained that “there might not be the right spaces in the right places for children whose education is disrupted by this policy”. Ms Robinson added: “Independent schools play a vital part in their community’s education ecosystem and we are particularly worried about how this tax on education might impact local special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) provision, as well as young people’s access to faith, bilingual or single-sex schools.” Commenting on the statistics, shadow schools minister Neil O'Brien said: “This is so counterproductive. We can now see that in many places it will create huge pressure on state schools.” A live poll, near the top of the page, asks readers to vote on whether they support charging VAT on school fees. By Aubrey Allegretti. Also reported on by Tom Watling for The Independent and Mark Duell for Daily Mail. 

The Times' leading article highlights the impact of the VAT on fees policy, stating that it has forced thousands of pupils into an overstretched state system, leaving many councils unable to accommodate them. It also claims the government has given "no thought" to the vital role of independent schools, particularly in supporting children with SEND. The article warns that the situation will worsen in April when business rates relief ends, and concludes that "Labour’s vaunted extra VAT income will make virtually no statistical difference."

The Telegraph talks to a number of parents who are facing the difficult decision of sacrificing pension contributions to pay for independent school fees. Sharing her concerns, Rebecca, whose son Ed has SEND, explains that she has been forced to halve her pension contributions to meet the rising cost of Ed's school fees as a result of the government's VAT on fees policy, potentially costing her and her partner over £21,000 in lost retirement savings by the end of sixth form. Herself a teacher, Rebecca explains that the independent school her son attends has an "exceptional" SEND programme and "very nurturing environment". Two more couples share their concerns as they balance the cost of independent school fees with their retirement savings, with Anna and her husband Hugh highlighting the financial strain and trade-offs parents are having to make amid rising fees. Charlene Young, pensions and savings expert at investment firm AJ Bell, warns: "Parents who choose to divert extra income to school fees instead of their pension will pay more tax now, and will likely end up with less in their pension pots in future, potentially putting their retirement plans at risk." By Georgina Fuller.

In a written question in the House of Commons on SEND provision, Conservative MP for Mid Bedfordshire Blake Stephenson asked whether the education secretary has made an estimate of the number of pupils with SEND in Bedfordshire that are expected to leave independent schools in 2024/25. Responding, Parliamentary Under-Secretary for the Department for Education Stephen Morgan said: "There is no separate assessment by local authority," adding that the Treasury's impact note clarifies that pupils who require local authority-funded places in independent schools will not be affected by changes, as these schools will be compensated for the addition of VAT on fees. He said: "Most pupils who have SEND are educated in mainstream schools (whether state-maintained or independent) where their needs are met. The overwhelming majority attend state schools. The department supports local authorities to provide suitable school places for children and young people with SEND through annual high needs capital funding. This can be used to deliver new places in mainstream and special schools, as well as other specialist settings. At Autumn Budget 2024, the government announced a £2.3 billion increase to the core schools' budget in 2025/26, increasing per pupil funding in real terms. This included an almost £1 billion uplift to high needs funding in 2025/26, providing additional support for the more than one million children in the state sector with SEND." 

Responding to Mr Stephenson's question of how many pupils with SEND attend independent schools in Bedfordshire, education minister Catherine McKinnell said the information for this constituency and others can be found here, with further figures on SEND provision available here.

In a question on business rates, Shadow Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Kevin Hollinrake asked whether the draft Local Government Finance Settlement for 2025/26 incorporates the expected funding from business rates on independent schools. In response, Minister of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government Jim McMahon said: "Business rates retention means that local authorities retain a proportion of all business rates revenue. As in previous years, the provisional Local Government Finance Settlement reflects local authority baseline funding levels. These are a core part of the business rates retention system which represent a measure of an authority’s need that is funded via business rates. This measurement [does not reflect] the totality of business rates or annual changes in business rate income from year to year. The increase in rates receipts due to the reduction in charitable rate relief for private schools will be shared between central and local government. The proportion of business rates that are retained locally and the proportion paid to central government are determined via business rates retention shares known as the local and central share." Hansard.

Successful complaints about councils' special educational needs and disability (SEND) services in England have increased fourfold over the past four years, highlighting the ongoing crisis in the system. In 2024, the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman upheld 1,043 cases related to SEND provision, nearly 40 per cent more than in 2023 and four times the 258 upheld in 2021. By Chaminda Jayanetti, The Observer.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is to be implemented in primary schools to test reading skills under government plans to reduce the workload for teachers. The development of an AI tool that will test six and seven-year-olds using machine learning and speech recognition is being funded by the Department for Education. Using AI, it will listen to children reading from a screen and provide feedback to teachers, in a move developers claim could reduce the workload of assessing reading skills by 93 per cent. When approached by The Telegraph about the plans, a government spokesman said the tool should “only be used alongside a teacher in a one-to-one setting”. By Tony Diver.

Young people are more likely to trust social media influencers than the government, with conspiracy theories widespread in classrooms, according to the largest study of its kind in English schools. Due for publication today, the report by the Commission into Countering Online Conspiracies in Schools comprises 14 expert commissioners from education, media, law, and academia. It will reveal that those most susceptible to conspiracy theories are girls, younger siblings, children from lower-income households, and those who feel marginalised in society. By Nicola Woolcock, The Times.

Writing in Tes, Sally Burtonshaw outlines three ways for teachers to address conspiracy theories in the classroom. On the importance of tackling the issue, she says: "We know that as conspiracy belief, misinformation and disinformation evolve, our work to address it must do the same." Sally Burtonshaw is a director in the education practice at Public First.

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.

Sign-up to the email service is available on our website.

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.

Headlines and first-line summaries are written by the ISC with the link directing to the source material. You should read and comply with the terms and conditions of the websites to which we link.