Teachers in England are to be given a four per cent pay rise following ministers’ acceptance of salary recommendations from pay review bodies. However, the National Education Union has expressed concern that the increase is "not fully funded" and could lead to "cuts in service provision" for many schools. The Department for Education has announced an additional £615 million to help cover the rises but warned that schools will be expected to partially fund the awards through "improved productivity and smarter spending". By Paul Seddon and Nick Triggle, BBC News.

In an article for Schools Week, Bridget Phillipson says the pay rise demonstrates ministers' commitment to working in partnership to raise standards for all children. The education secretary writes: "This partnership approach is crucial, but it must be a two-way street. Joint responsibility. Government to do its bit to turn around the challenges that are all too familiar in our education system, and schools to do theirs."

In a written question in the House of Commons, Conservative MP Andrew Rosindell asked the education secretary what steps she is taking to promote and support cooperation between the state and independent education sectors in England. In response, schools minister Stephen Morgan said: "Around 70 per cent of private schools affiliated with the Independent Schools Council hold charitable status. As charities, they are required to demonstrate public benefit and one way in which they do that is through partnerships with state schools. This activity should continue." Hansard.

In light of reports that Sir Keir Starmer is reconsidering his stance on the winter fuel allowance, Sue Thompson from Suffolk writes to The Times urging the prime minister to rethink his party's VAT on fees policy, "which has resulted in lost earnings from overseas pupils and more children entering the state system, overloading staff and facilities with no appreciable advantage to the Treasury". Ms Thompson concludes: "Surely now is the time for another U-turn." The letter appears above halfway.

Dame Rachel de Souza has joined Kyiv in lobbying the UK government to introduce a new GCSE in Ukrainian to help child refugees adjust to the "immense upheaval" of fleeing war in their country. Late last year, The Guardian revealed that Ukraine was "deeply concerned" to discover many Ukrainian teenagers are being pressed into learning Russian in British schools because there is no GCSE in Ukrainian. The children's commissioner intervened after visiting St Mary’s, a network of 13 Ukrainian language schools in the UK. St Mary's has also proposed becoming a hub for both GCSE and A-level qualifications in Ukrainian. By Matthew Weaver.

Schools Week investigates the government’s challenging position of reforming the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system without reducing support for vulnerable pupils. The long-read article explores concerns over Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) as well as issues around funding. Jenny Riddell-Carpenter, a Labour MP and advocate for families of children with SEND, told Parliament in February: "Parents are quite literally crying out for help, and we must listen to them and act." By John Dickens. 

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