Conservative MP Neil O’Brien asked the chancellor how the Treasury intends to spend the revenue generated from the VAT on fees policy in the (a) 2024–25 and (b) 2025–26 financial years; and how much she plans to allocate to each project. Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury James Murray said "the government has taken a number of decisions on tax to stabilise the public finances and support public services," before repeating the claim that "ending tax breaks for private schools will raise £1.8bn a year". He added: "To raise school standards for every child, and break down the barriers to opportunity, the government will increase the core schools budget by £2 billion in real terms over this Spending Review (2023-24 to 2028-29). This provides a £4.7 billion cash increase per year by 2028-29 (compared to 2025-26), which ensures average real terms growth of 1.1 per cent a year per pupil." Hansard.

Children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) are facing increasing delays in receiving support, with only 46 per cent of Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) issued by local authorities within the 20-week deadline last year, according to figures from the Department for Education. Ministers have promised "wide-ranging reform" in the autumn, with many parents and charities fearing EHCPs could be replaced altogether. Speaking to BBC News, Sue, the parent of a child with SEND, said the family has had to wait 72 weeks for her daughter’s plan, which is almost a year longer than the 20-week deadline. Stephen Kingdom, from the Disabled Children's Partnership, which represents charities, campaigners and parents, said the legal right to an individual plan must remain a vital component of any reformed SEND system. By Kate McGough, BBC News.

Pupils applying to study at US universities should be "constantly aware" of what they publish on social media, experts have warned, amid reports of visas being rejected while immigration officials sift through online posts. Applicants are reportedly required to make their social media profiles public, and American officials have been ordered to scour through content dating back five years – meaning British students’ posts from as young as age 12 could be scrutinised for possible threats or "hostile attitudes". Peter Adediran, digital media rights solicitor at PAIL Solicitors, said it may result in some young people not having social media. By Nicola Woolcock and Georgia Lambert, The Times. 

A new tournament aimed at state school pupils has been launched at Lord's cricket ground by former England captains Heather Knight and Michael Vaughan. The Knight-Stokes Cup will be held in the summer of 2026 and a series of regional heats will result in finals on the main ground at Lord's. The tournament, which will be for pupils in Year 10, is part of the game's wider efforts to increase opportunities for state school children to play cricket. Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) Foundation will oversee the organisation of the cup in conjunction with regional cricket boards, and a number of independent schools will provide facilities and grounds for state schools to play matches. BBC News.

Amelia King, director of digital transformation at Dulwich College, writes in Schools Week exploring the findings of a study from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) on ChatGPT, which found that pupils relying solely on artificial intelligence (AI) struggled to recall their own work and showed less brain engagement. Ms King argues that it is the mindless use of AI that can be unhelpful, rather than AI in itself. "The fundamental issue isn’t that AI is destroying our brains, but that complete delegation of our thinking to any external tool can undermine learning. Instead of feeding AI panic, the study should act as a reminder that we need to be strategic about cognitive offloading," she says. 

Writing in Schools Week, Al McConville, deputy head at The King Alfred School, talks about the "quiet revolution" taking place at schools "frustrated with the uncertainty surrounding curriculum reform". Mr McConville outlines the work of the School Directed Courses Consortium (SDCC), which involves both state and independent schools and was originally created as a small forum for those who had started reducing their overall GCSE offering. Membership has since grown to around 100 schools, who are at various stages on their journeys. He writes: "The SDCC stands to be an effective test-bed for future qualification pathways through its free-wheeling innovations. And it’s not hard to imagine how this practice could explode." A number of schools in membership of the ISC's constituent associations are mentioned. 

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