Pupils moving from independent to state schools as a result of Labour’s VAT on fees policy may face limited options, the Daily Mail reports, as official statistics show that only 1.5 per cent of state school places were unfilled in some areas during 2023-2024. New data from the Department for Education (DfE) shows that many local authorities had less than five per cent of spare places across their schools. Should the situation be similar this year, it would mean reduced options for parents forced to move their children out of independent schools. A spokesman for parent campaign group Education not Taxation has warned that the lack of available places for some year groups will mean higher costs for local authorities transporting pupils to other schools. They said: "This helps no one. We can do better and urge Labour to listen to parents and school leaders and reverse this tax." By Eleanor Harding.

There were 8,000 more secondary school pupils in special schools in England than places available for them in 2024, according to Department for Education (DfE) figures, marking a rise of 25 per cent in 12 months. Around two thirds of the schools were at or over capacity in 2023-2024, despite the number of special school places rising by 5,000. Education secretary Bridget Phillipson said yesterday that the government's £740 million funding investment, which is intended to create 10,000 new school places for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) within mainstream schools, will help plug "the significant gaps in provision". By Vanessa Clarke, BBC News.

Writing in Tes, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) Pepe Di’Iasio highlights recent findings from a Teacher Tapp survey, commissioned by ASCL, revealing stark concerns among teachers and school leaders in England over pupils' online safety. Nearly three quarters of secondary school teachers reported student bullying on social media while almost one in five had observed signs of engagement with extremist material. Urging ministers to tighten regulations and hold technology firms to account, Mr Di'Iasio writes: "The existing guidance already urges schools to address these issues. What we need is meaningful action, not just minor policy tweaks."

In the ISC's latest blog, Laurell Milton, an English teacher at Dulwich College, explains how the school is promoting equity, diversity, and inclusion through its celebration of events like International Women's Week.

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