Ofsted has confirmed that routine inspections under its new "report card" framework will resume in state schools on 1 December after being paused since July. The new framework, launched on 10 November, has so far only been used in schools that volunteered for early inspection. Once in place, routine inspections will pause again for the week of December 15 for inspector training, and then resume in the new year. By Lydia Chantler-Hicks, Schools Week.

Rates of suspension fell last autumn for the first time since Covid lockdowns, but remain far above those seen before the pandemic, according to new Department for Education (DfE) figures. The data shows a suspension rate of 4.02 per hundred pupils was recorded in the autumn of 2024, down from 4.13 the previous year, but still higher than the 2.96 recorded in 2022 and the 2.17 in 2019. Published today, the figures suggest the trend of rising numbers since Covid may now have reached their peak and be starting to fall again. By Freddie Whittaker, Schools Week.

Georgia Gould, Minister for School Standards, has refused to rule out cutting council-funded support plans for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) as part of ministers' reform of the system. Addressing delegates at the Schools and Academies Show yesterday, Ms Gould insisted there will "always be a legal right to provision", but did not confirm whether or not pupils who currently have education, health and care plans (EHCPs) would lose them. During her speech in Birmingham, the minister promised a system that gives families clear support without a struggle, adding that she "completely rejects" Reform UK deputy leader Richard Tice’s claim that that there is a "crisis of overdiagnosis" of special educational needs. By Connie Dimsdale and Kitty Donaldson, iNews. 

Ministers risk overlooking the importance of what is taught in special schools and should focus more on pupils who cannot access the national curriculum, leaders in specialist settings have warned. Headteachers have also expressed concerns that their sector was only mentioned once by the Department for Education in its response to this month’s curriculum and assessment review, warning the response's lack of detail and focus risks what is being taught in special schools being seen as an afterthought. Speaking to Tes, Mounir Meghalsi, headteacher of Calthorpe Academy, a special school in Birmingham, said: “I would have liked the role of special schools to feature far more strongly in the government’s response." By John Roberts.

Nearly one in three primary school headteachers under 50 is stepping down within five years of taking up the post, according to analysis published today from the NAHT. The figures show that 30 per cent of primary heads under the age of 50 who were appointed in 2019 had resigned by 2024, with the union saying said this is a rise of nine per cent since the five years from 2011-16. The survey also found a "record" 65 per cent of school leaders said they would be very unlikely (35 per cent) or unlikely (30 per cent) to recommend school leadership, up from 53 per cent last year. By Kyle Tormey, Tes.

The "huge shock" of Labour's VAT on fees policy means there is now "very little difference" in the way for-profit and charitable schools operate, Suzie Longstaff, managing director of Dukes Education, has said. Speaking at an event at The Schools and Academies Show this week, Ms Longstaff remarked: "Now every single school is behaving a bit like a business and a lot of the charitable independent sector are doing exactly what everybody else does in the private sector." The panel event, entitled Stories From the Storm – How are Schools Adapting in the Wake of The VAT and Business Rates Changes? also addressed the effect of recent economic and political shifts on international markets. During the discussion, Joanna Fox, principal of Harrogate Ladies’ College, described the "real challenge" of the tax policy, which has been deterring some of the international pupils who traditionally fill the school’s boarding places. By Irena Barker, Independent School Management Plus. 

As more independent schools leave the Teachers’ Pension Scheme (TPS), only a significant minority have joined or rejoined, according to a Freedom of Information (FOI) request by employee benefit specialists Secondsight. The FOI showed that a further 97 schools have either left or are leaving the TPS since the last request made in January this year, which takes the number to 313, down from 410 in 2019. By Sonia Rach, Financial Times. 

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.