Writing in The Telegraph, Rowan Pelling reflects on her own education at all-girls school, Walthamstow Hall, where she says the absence of boys fostered a supportive, independent, and empowering environment for girls to excel academically and personally. Ms Pelling warns that, as some independent girls’ schools face closure amid Labour’s VAT on fees policy, young women will be disadvantaged by the reduction in options available to them. Rowan Pelling is a comment writer for The Telegraph.

During a debate in the House of Lords, peers discussed the Non-Domestic Rating (Multipliers and Private Schools) Bill. Liberal Democrat peer Lord Fox proposed an amendment, and stated: "The purpose of this Act is to vary some non-domestic rating multipliers and to remove the charitable exemption from private schools. This amendment sets out the purpose of this Act and is intended to invite the House to consider whether the Bill meets the Government's stated aims of protecting the high street and encouraging investment." 

Labour peer Lord Khan of Burnley expressed his support for the bill and said removing business rates relief for independent schools is "a tough but necessary decision". Hansard.

In a letter to The Times, Prior Park College headmaster Ben Horan expresses concern over rising school absences, with new figures showing one in three children skipped school in the past year. While acknowledging the impact of the pandemic and remote work, Mr Horan notes that parents say the main reason children refuse school is that they don’t "enjoy" it. With social media providing constant gratification and making school seem less appealing, he argues that restricting access to these platforms before age 16 should be part of efforts to curb absenteeism. "Such a step would mean that real-life social interaction, in school, is not replaced by children absorbed in a more enjoyable, yet dystopian, dreamworld," he concludes. The letter is the second featured on the page.

Ministers are being urged to incorporate audiobooks into England’s new school curriculum after research by the National Literacy Trust revealed that fewer children are reading for pleasure and more are opting to listen instead. Among the 37,000 children and young people aged 8 to 18 surveyed in the UK, more than two in five (42.3 per cent) said they enjoyed listening to audio in their free time in 2024, up from 39.4 per cent in 2023. As audio gains popularity, reading for pleasure has dropped to “crisis” levels, according to the NLT, with just over a third (34.6 per cent) of children saying they enjoyed reading in their free time. The statistics also revealed a gender gap, as boys were particularly disenchanted with books. By Sally Weale, The Guardian. 

Schools for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) employ teachers without qualified teacher status (QTS) more often than mainstream schools, according to research published today by the National Foundation for Educational Research. The findings also suggest that special schools in England face workforce challenges as they require a higher staff-to-pupil ratio, and they are likely to be “particularly affected” by teaching assistant shortages. Tes. 

In an article for Schools Week, chief executive of the Confederation of School Trusts (CST) Leora Cruddas outlines 10 guiding principles for reforming the SEND system. Ms Cruddas explains that the CST's principles, published today, acknowledge the complexities of the SEND framework but prioritise a "whole-system" approach.

In the ISC's latest blog, Helen Pike, master of Magdalen College School, reflects on the impact of the school’s partnership and community initiatives, and highlights the important role of independent schools as a force for social good.

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