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VAT on fees: 'The education sector will be quite different in as little as five years' time'
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Independent sector
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The Sunday Times examines the effects of the government's VAT on fees policy in a detailed article focusing on the closure of several independent schools. Reflecting on what will be his pupils' final summer ball, Charlie Freer, the owner of Padworth College, cites the new tax as being behind the school's closure and says: "Sadly it’s just not been possible for us to recruit enough students." Mr Freer adds: "I do think it is a crying shame — the policy and the impact it is having on the sector. There are a lot of mergers going on, as I think schools recognise there is safety in numbers and there are some economies of scale. But I think the education sector will be quite different in as little as five years’ time — I think it is a sort of generational change." Reference is made to figures from the Independent Schools Council’s census, which show independent school fees increased by 22.6 per cent in the last year. A table of school closures is also published, using data from The Sunday Times and the estate agent Hamptons. A number of schools in membership of the ISC's constituent associations are mentioned. By David Byers.
Independent School Management Plus reports that independent schools are increasingly exploring partnerships with online and hybrid providers to reduce costs, maintain a broad curriculum, and remain financially viable amid VAT on fees. Rudolf Eliott Lockhart, CEO of the Independent Schools Association (ISA), is quoted, saying: "Online and hybrid schools are a very interesting development in education and there is potential for traditional schools to work with them for some really innovative approaches on issues such as low pupil numbers for niche subjects, long-term teacher sickness, or recruitment difficulties in specific subjects. Schools within the ISA family often reach out to each other for support or to exchange ideas and hybrid schools and what they offer are no exception. In an increasingly digitally literate world, they will play an important role in education and could offer more opportunities for partnership work between state and independent schools." Suzie Longstaff, principal of London Park Schools, which runs London Park Hybrid and will be opening a second hybrid school in Cambridge this September, added that a tangible shift is taking place in the independent sector. She said: "There are now new and interesting ways of delivering education and the challenge is for schools to break the traditional model of face-to-face teaching which has been with us for hundreds of years and needs to change." By Dorothy Lepkowska.
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SEND reform could lead to 'atmosphere of chaos' in classrooms, disability groups warn
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SEND
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Disability groups have raised concerns that reforms to the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system could lead to fewer support staff and an "atmosphere of chaos", with teachers unable to meet the needs of multiple children with SEND. Gillian Doherty, director of SEND parent group Special Needs Jungle, told iNews that restricting or removing Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) in mainstream schools could trigger a scramble for places in special schools, which are already in high demand. She said: "Removing EHCPs from disabled children in mainstream schools won’t magically make their needs disappear. It will just leave them without the support they need to thrive, make progress and stay safe, which would be a disaster." Parent Anjali Hoyle said it would be a "complete tragedy" for her six-year-old son Dexter, who has Down’s syndrome, to lose his EHCP. Ms Hoyle added: "Each child with SEND is still different, and they need tailored teaching strategies and therapies. That tailoring happens in the EHCP." Echoing these concerns, Margaret Mulholland, SEND and inclusion specialist at the Association of School and College Leaders, said that without sufficient core funding for schools, "any move to limit EHCPs risks forcing schools to make cuts that will directly impact the children who need the most help". By Connie Dimsdale.
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Pupils can pass maths GCSE without 'some basic numeracy', report claims
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Examinations
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Pupils can pass GCSE maths without fully mastering key numeracy skills like decimals, percentages, and averages, according to a report by the Maths Horizons project, an independent curriculum review led by academics and educators. Published today, the report reveals that children taking the maths exam can achieve as little as 14 per cent of the available marks and still earn a grade 4 (equivalent to the old grade C) "without having demonstrated a broad grasp of many important concepts, facts and methods". The authors hope the research will be taken into account in the national curriculum review, commissioned by the government and led by Professor Becky Francis, which will report back in the autumn. By Louise Eccles, The Sunday Times.
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Ministers hope disposable vape ban will 'put an end to their alarming rise in school playgrounds'
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Health
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With a ban on the sale of disposable vapes coming into effect yesterday, a doctor who set up the first-ever clinic to help children stop vaping said she has seen patients so addicted that they couldn’t sleep through the night without them. Professor Rachel Isba established the clinic at Alder Hey Hospital in Liverpool earlier this year and has now seen several patients as young as 11 years old who are nicotine dependent. The government's ban on single-use vapes across the UK – both online and in-store, whether or not they contain nicotine – follows warnings from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), which said the ban would "put an end to their alarming rise in school playgrounds and the avalanche of rubbish flooding the nation's streets". By Katie Barnfield, Sky News.
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White working-class children 'betrayed by politicians', says education secretary
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Education policy
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White working-class pupils have been "left behind" by the education system and must be at the centre of efforts to drive up school standards, Bridget Phillipson has said. Announcing an inquiry to look into the issue, the education secretary said too many of these children had been "betrayed" by politicians who had ignored the "scandal" of declining standards among white working-class British young people. Ms Phillipson's comments came as government analysis showed that of 1,228 schools where more than 20 per cent of pupils were white British and disadvantaged, only 21 had a positive Progress 8 score for that group, suggesting they made better than average progress between primary school and GCSEs. None had a score above 0.5, the highest benchmark. By Georgia Lambert, The Times.
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Haileybury 'so proud' of F1 driver Oscar Piastri's success
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Sport
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Aged just 24, Oscar Piastri has won more than half of this year's Formula 1 races. The Daily Mail reflects on the McLaren driver's schooldays at Haileybury and quotes the school's head of sport, Andy Searson, who says: "Joining Haileybury UK in Year 10 from Melbourne, Oscar never demonstrated anything other than exemplary humility and remarkable composure throughout his four years [at the school]." Eugene du Toit, master of Haileybury, adds: "We are so proud of what Oscar has achieved, and it has been a pleasure to celebrate his success." By Iwan Stone.
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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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