Ministers are considering plans to revise space requirements for nurseries in England so they can offer more childcare places, prompting concerns about potential overcrowding. The Department for Education (DfE) has launched a consultation on whether early years settings should be permitted to count "free-flow" outdoor areas as part of the required floor space for children aged two and over. Early years professionals have raised concerns that the drive to increase childcare capacity could compromise quality. By Sally Weale, The Guardian. 

From September, parents of children under five will be able to double their current funded childcare entitlement, from 15 to 30 hours per week. The funding will apply to registered childcare providers, such as nurseries and childminders, but will not cover care provided by nannies, home carers, or relatives. iNews explores the full scope of the changes and who will be eligible, with education secretary Bridget Phillipson stating that early years provision is her "number one priority". By Sally Guyoncourt.

Three quarters of primary teachers have noticed a deterioration in pupils’ ability to perform precise movements over the past five years, according to a poll by YouGov. The findings on fine motor skills come as new data obtained by Tes reveals major increases in the use of transcribers and scribes for Key Stage 2 SATs, prompting concerns that primary school pupils’ handwriting standards are worsening. The survey also found that only 26 per cent of primary teachers believe children are reaching their artistic potential. By Cerys Turner.

The National Education Union (NEU) is to defy the Supreme Court’s ruling on gender and campaign to allow trans teachers to keep using women’s toilets, after members passed a motion calling for guidance issued after last month's ruling to be withdrawn. It means the NEU may now step in and provide legal assistance for transgender teachers if they are barred from women's toilets or female changing rooms. Commenting on the issue, Daniel Kebede, the union’s general secretary, said: "The NEU is looking carefully at the Supreme Court ruling and its implications for employment. A toxic climate has been created in recent years in which trans people, a small community, are treated as if they are a risk or threat to others." By Poppy Wood, The Telegraph.

The NHS is introducing "smart scales" at specialist weight management clinics across England in an attempt to help severely overweight children adopt healthier lifestyles. The digital scales, described by health officials as a potential "game-changing tool", transfer weight data to a mobile app, allowing healthcare professionals to monitor patients' progress and provide ongoing support to them and their families. Commenting on the initiative, Professor Simon Kenny, NHS England’s national clinical director for children and young people, added: "We know that children living with health problems have poorer school attendance, which can affect their future employment and life opportunities." By Helen William, The Independent. 

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.