The Telegraph reports independent schools are having to ease their entry requirements to "widen the net" and attract pupils as they try to mitigate the impact of the VAT on fees policy. Highlighting the growing pressures schools are facing under the new tax, Simon Nathan, deputy chief executive of the Independent Schools Council (ISC), said: "The number of children leaving independent schools has already been more than four times what the government predicted. In light of this, many schools are looking at their pupil recruitment strategies to make sure they remain accessible and viable for as many families as possible. Their standards of education and pastoral care remain at the highest level." By Pieter Snepvangers and Dominic Penna.

Writing in Edinburgh Evening News, Sue Webber, a Scottish Conservative MSP for Lothian, says the full impact of the tax policy is yet to be seen, but that an increase in the number of children choosing state schools can be expected, putting more pressure on the sector. She writes: "More problems loom after summer when the full impact of VAT on private school fees will be more apparent because the real problem is not families withdrawing their children but choosing not to go private in the first place." She adds that even if the tax does raise money, the funds will be "small" and any extra revenue in Scotland will be unlikely to reach classrooms. "It does not matter if you are for or against private education, it’s about the impact on all children," she warns. A number of schools in membership of the ISC's constituent associations are mentioned.

During a debate in the House of Lords yesterday, Lord Lexden, president of the Independent Schools Association (ISA), asked what assessment ministers have made of the impact of the removal of the VAT exemption and other recent tax changes on independent schools. Labour peer and minister for education Baroness Smith of Malvern replied: "We monitor the impact on the sector and published details of pupil numbers in June 2025. A drop in numbers was expected following these changes and due to other factors, such as demographic decline. The full impact is expected to be realised over several years. Overall, private school pupil numbers remain higher than in 2020, then a record high." 

Baroness Smith then addressed several questions from peers equally concerned about the impact of the government’s VAT on fees policy. Conservative peer and president of the Boarding Schools' Association (BSA) Lord Black of Brentwood asked why ministers had ignored the advice of those who warned introducing the tax mid-way through the academic year "would be the most disruptive option" for implementation, adding: "Now, the Department for Education’s own statistics show a drop of 11,000 in independent school numbers, four times that predicted by the government, with boarding schools hit twice as hard." 

Peers continued to debate the issue, raising questions over the impact of VAT on fees on pupils with special educational needs and disabilities, as well as bursaries and partnerships. The debate can be read in full at Hansard. 

Given the rising student population, why are GCSE and A-level entry numbers falling? Tes takes a look at Ofqual’s data for this exam season, which reveals a decline in the appeal of GCSE sciences and A-level English. For maths, however, the data is more positive and the subject retains its spot as the country’s most popular A level. Further insights will be available once the full results have been published later in the summer. By Ellen Peirson-Hagger.

MSPs have passed legislation that will lead to the replacement of Scotland’s school exams agency. The Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) is to be dissolved and replaced by a new organisation, Qualifications Scotland. The Education (Scotland) Bill also outlines proposals for the creation of a new education inspectorate. The reforms come in the wake of recent controversies over exam marking, with ministers claiming the changes will lead to a more effective system. However, opposition parties have criticised the plans, warning that the reforms amount to little more than a "superficial rebrand". BBC News. 

Some teacher retention payments made no difference to retention rates, according to new analysis by the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER), which suggests the schemes are less effective than previously thought. The research, funded by the Nuffield Foundation, considered the effectiveness of five different government schemes piloted since 2018, directed at improving teacher retention with financial incentives for early career teachers. The analysis also looked at the long-term impact of retention payments versus bursaries and found that bursaries offer "considerably better value for money". By Lydia Chantler-Hicks, Schools Week. 

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.