The government should resist pressure to impose a total ban on phones in schools, Donna Stevens, chief executive of the Girls' Schools Association (GSA), has warned. Addressing delegates at the association's annual conference yesterday, Ms Stevens said an "outright ban" would lack "nuance", adding that such policies should be "community specific" because "schools know best" in keeping their pupils safe. Echoing the comments, Lindsey Hughes, GSA president and head of Channing School said: "At my school we make it really clear that we think it's a parental choice whether a child has a phone at all, and if they do, what kind of phone it is, and we are really happy to engage with parents about making that choice." Ministers are currently being lobbied by the Conservative Party and parent campaigners to legislate for a total ban of phones in schools, although any ban in law would likely not apply to independent schools. By Eleanor Harding, Daily Mail.

In a series of written questions in the House of Commons, Conservative MP for Tonbridge Tom Tugendhat questioned ministers about the impact of the VAT on fees policy. In his first question, Mr Tugendhat asked how much revenue the tax policy has raised, and how much has been spent on student transfers from independent to state schools. He then asked whether ministers plan to support Kent County Council with levels of admissions following the introduction of VAT on fees. In his third question, Mr Tugendhat asked what correspondence education secretary Bridget Phillipson has had with primary and secondary schools to evaluate the impact of pupil transfers on admissions as well as special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) provision for new and existing students since 1 January 2025. In Mr Tugendhat's penultimate question, he asked how many pupils have moved from independent to state schools since July 2024, and what discussions Ms Phillipson has had with schools on the impact of those transfers on student to teacher ratios in classrooms. His final question related to how many teachers have been appointed using VAT receipts since this January, broken down by region and local authority.

Responding, shadow education secretary Olivia Bailey provided the same answer to all five questions. Referencing the Treasury's tax information and impact note (TIIN) on applying VAT to independent school fees, which is available here, she noted that it contains information on the impacts on individuals and families, and the government’s estimates of the number of pupils expected to enter the state sector as a result of the tax policy. "The government does not collect pupil-level data from private schools and therefore cannot track pupil movements out of private schools into the state sector", she added.

In a written question in the House of Lords, Conservative peer Lord Naseby asked what assessment ministers have made regarding to the consistent availability of speech and language therapy from NHS hospitals to pupils attending independent schools, and what steps they are taking to ensure such provision. Labour peer Baroness Merron replied, explaining that the NHS, free at the point of use, gives care to those needing it "based on clinical need". She said: "The fact that a child attends private school does not disqualify them from NHS healthcare services, as NHS services are based on clinical need, not type of school. In some cases, there have been errors in a local service offer that have led to this being corrected before." Hansard.

Teacher wellbeing rates have fallen to a new low, with more than three quarters of staff experiencing symptoms of poor mental health because of work, a survey has revealed. The Teacher Wellbeing Index by Education Support surveyed 3,000 individuals and found school staff have continued to report significantly lower wellbeing than the general population. Of those surveyed, 76 per cent reported feeling stressed, 77 per cent said they have been experiencing symptoms of poor mental health due to work, and 36 per cent were at risk of probable clinical depression. By Ruth Lucas, Schools Week. 

Primary school tests have "devastating effects" for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), 22 parent groups and campaigners have warned. Among them is Anna Maxwell Martin, the actress, who is echoing calls for ministers to reconsider reforming primary SATs. In an open letter to education secretary Bridget Phillipson, the group says the current SATs system "actively harms" children with SEND, often leaving them disengaged from school as they move up to secondary. Speaking to The Telegraph, parent Kirsti Hadley from consultancy and campaign group Generation Alphabet, said: "We are saying loud and clear: think again about SATs. Forcing children into a system that actively harms them is not the answer. Changing the system so that our children want to attend school is."

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