St Clare’s School in Porthcawl has announced proposals to close, citing "economic volatility" and "factors beyond our control". In a letter to parents, the school management notes the falling local birth rate and explains that projected pupil numbers for the next academic year make the school "unsustainable". The article quotes the Welsh Independent Schools Council (WISC), which warns: "This announcement is not an isolated event but reflects the mounting pressures facing independent schools across Wales." According to WISC analysis, up to 19 independent schools in Wales could face closure as a result of financial pressures including VAT on fees, the loss of business rates relief, and increases to employer National Insurance contributions. By Abbie Wightwick, Wales Online. 

In an opinion piece in The New Statesman, Mona Siddiqui reflects on her participation in a recent Cambridge Literary Festival discussion about whether independent schools should be abolished. Opposing the motion, Ms Siddiqui argues that such conversations should focus on education for all, adding that independent schools "serve a wide range of children with huge benefits to society as a whole". Mona Siddiqui is a broadcaster and professor of Islamic and interreligious studies at the University of Edinburgh.

Dr Joe Spence, CEO of the School Partnerships Alliance (S.P.A.) and former master of Dulwich College, will tell delegates at the upcoming Admissions, Marketing & Communications in Independent Schools (AMCIS) annual conference that strengthening ties between independent and state schools could help improve public perceptions of the independent sector. He will also highlight the vital role of professional support staff in driving these alliances. "The collaboration of professionals in admissions, marketing, communications, development, enterprise, and partnerships will be the foundation upon which schools build for future success," Dr Spence will say. Independent School Management Plus. 

The cost of sending a children to state school has risen sharply, according to research by the Child Poverty Action Group and the Centre for Research in Social Policy. The figures suggest British parents are now paying at least £1,000 towards primary and almost £2,300 towards secondary as a result of the rising price of food and increased demand for ­materials and ­technology. These are increases of 16 per cent and 30 per cent respectively since 2022. The report's authors warned that the growing costs are making it harder for children to thrive at school and could act as a barrier to a child’s ­education and experience of school life. By Nicola Woolcock, The Times. 

FFT Education Datalab (FFT) is calling for modern foreign language and computer science GCSEs to be graded more generously, after its analysis revealed they are consistently graded more severely than other subjects. The think tank analysed last year's GCSE results and calculated average scores for every pupil in English and maths before using this as a baseline to draw comparisons to their grades in other subjects. Computer science appeared to be the most "harshly" graded, according to the analysis, followed by French and Spanish, psychology, German, and statistics. "Action to address historic low grading in modern foreign languages (MFL) is long overdue," warned the report's author and chief statistician at FFT, Dave Thomson. By Lydia Chantler-Hicks, Schools Week.

The number of pupils in Scotland caught cheating through plagiarism almost doubled last year, with dozens of children found to be using artificial intelligence (AI) for the first time. There were 92 instances of malpractice by plagiarism in 2024, including 31 linked to AI. This is up from 54 the previous year, when no AI-related cases were detected. The Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) has used software to detect signs of plagiarism for years, but advances in technology have recently allowed assessors to detect the use of AI as well. By Mark McLaughlin, The Times. 

Today, Britain commemorates the 80th anniversary of VE Day with nationwide celebrations honouring the millions of people across the UK and Commonwealth who served in World War Two. BBC News visits Maidstone Grammar School for Girls, where surveyors recently rediscovered a zig-zag network of underground tunnels that served as subterranean classrooms throughout the war. Former wartime pupil Inga Mayor, 94, reflects on her school days and tells the broadcaster: "You would be sat down here and be chatting but aware all the time that you could hear enemy planes. There was camaraderie of course... We somehow felt safe down here." Highlighting the resilience of the school community, current headteacher Deborah Stanley adds: "The girls' education was not going to be diminished by a national crisis, they were still going to get the best possible education they could during their time at the school." By Piers Hopkirk and Jacob Panons.

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