There has been widespread coverage of the Independent Schools Council's (ISC) Census and Annual Report 2025, which has been published today.

Tes reports that pupil numbers in independent schools have dropped but that bursary funding is at an all-time high. Overall, the like-for-like number of pupils within ISC schools decreased by 2.4 per cent, or 13,363 children and young people. The amount of fee assistance available to families increased by 11.5 per cent from the previous year to £1.5 billion; almost three-quarters of total fee assistance is provided directly from the schools themselves, amounting to more than £1.1 billion annually. More than a third of all ISC pupils receive some type of fee assistance, and the average means-tested bursary was worth £13,852 a year, an increase of 7.3 per cent compared with 2024. Cross-sector collaboration has also increased, with 9,301 partnerships reported in the calendar year 2024 in areas including mental health support, improving access to the arts, exam preparation, sharing facilities, and oracy. Speaking to the paper, chief executive of the ISC Julie Robinson said: "The rise in bursary funds and partnership work shows that improving education for all continues to be at the heart of our schools’ purpose, even as political decisions affect their work. However, given the decline in pupil numbers and the associated fall in revenue, it is unclear whether the past few years of rises in fee assistance will be sustainable in the future. We urge the government to work with us to ensure independent education remains an option for as many families as possible over the coming years." In his foreword to the census, interim chair of the ISC Mark Taylor wrote: "Even under the most acute pressure, schools have maintained their commitment to educate the widest possible range of children." By Henry Hepburn. Also covered by Independent School Management Plus. 

An editorial piece in The Times considers the "financial toll" of the VAT on fees policy and challenges claims that independent schools are "crying wolf" over its effects. It states: "There is nothing to be gained by pretending that representative middle-class families are not having their finances squeezed by Labour’s VAT policy." Urging the government to "rethink its VAT hike entirely", it concludes: "The raid on private schooling is a policy with many clear victims, but no obvious beneficiaries."

Neil O’Brien, a shadow education minister, has accused the government of underestimating the impact of its VAT on fees policy and adding more pressure on the struggling state sector. Speaking to The Telegraph last week, Mr O'Brien said every child "priced out" of independent education would impact the state sector and pupils with special educational needs and disabilities would be particularly hard hit. The article refers to the recent High Court legal challenge, which argued the policy of taxing school fees would "interfere with the fundamental right to education". By Tom Haynes. 

Several schools in membership of the ISC's constituent associations are mentioned across today's coverage.

Writing to The Telegraph, principal and CEO of Stamford School Mark Steed agrees with ministers that children need to be taught to show some "grit", but that schools face "significant challenges in this enterprise". He notes that developing resilience takes time and sustained effort - something that stands in stark contrast to the culture of instant gratification that often dominates the digital world young people live in today. He argues that parents also have an important role to play, concluding: "Children need to be able to make mistakes and to fail, and then be encouraged to dig deep and come back stronger." The letter appears below halfway. 

Pupils’ enjoyment of their schooling suffers a significant decline during the first year of secondary school, two separate studies have found, with one in four beginning to disengage from school during Year 7. The findings suggest there is steep drop in school enjoyment scores between children in the final year of primary school (Year 6) and those in Year 7. Pupils eligible for free school meals also reported lower levels of enjoyment, trust and belonging than their peers, with the gaps increasing throughout secondary school. Tes.

Writing in Independent School Management Plus, Spencer Coles, CEO of Mander Portman Woodward (MPW), offers guidance for schools on addressing parents' concerns about their children's revision playlists. He writes: "A well-chosen playlist before studying can boost motivation, while silence during the actual revision maximises focus." On the benefits of silence, he continues: "As all our students enter their final exam weeks, the most practical advice I can offer is this: the exam hall will be silent. Students should spend at least some of their remaining revision sessions in similar conditions. Our brains form connections between the context of learning and the material itself, so practising retrieval in exam-like conditions strengthens those connections." MPW is a group of three fifth and sixth form colleges in London, Birmingham and Cambridge. 

In an article for Tes, chemistry teacher Jon Blackbourn explains how practical work and experiments can help pupils better understand abstract scientific concepts and spark enthusiasm during GCSE revision sessions. Mr Blackbourn, who teaches at Fairfield High School for Girls in Manchester and runs the YouTube channel Revise Chemistry with Mr B, writes: "If our body of scientific knowledge is to keep advancing in the future, today’s students must understand the importance of the scientific method and the role of practical work within that."

Research by Swim England, the national governing body for swimming, shows that many children stop lessons before mastering essential life-saving skills such as treading water and swimming 100 metres. To learn more about the skills young people need to stay safe in the water, De-Graft Mensah visits a swimming lesson and speaks with instructors about Swim England's safety recommendations. BBC Newsround. 

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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