A growing number of educational trusts and councils are extending the October half-term to two weeks to help children and teachers cope with the long autumn term. A poll conducted by TeacherTapp has found that 18 per cent of schools are now offering a two-week half-term, up from 16 per cent last year and 7 per cent in 2019. The Times reports that headteachers are also using the extended holiday as a teacher recruitment and retention incentive. By Nicola Woolcock, Owen Thomas and Lara Wildenberg. 

Schools in England spent £1.25 billion on supply teaching in 2022-23, according to a report by the National Education Union (NEU), with more than 80 per cent of that going to private agencies. The report found that despite schools paying more than £200 a day per teacher, many supply staff take home as little as £110. Industry representatives argue that the high costs cover pensions, national insurance, safeguarding checks, training, compliance, and the rapid provision of teachers when schools face sudden staff shortages. Daniel Kebede, the general secretary of the NEU, said: "Agencies are profiteering from the crisis in schools at the expense of supply teachers and school budgets... It cannot be right that exceptional sums of public money are flowing towards agencies that charge schools huge fees." By Georgia Lambert, The Times. 

A mother-of-four has accused the NHS of "prejudice" after her eight-year-old son, who has a speech impairment, was refused treatment because he attends an independent school. Speaking to the Daily Mail, she says: "There is an assumption that because we are paying independent school fees, we can afford to pay for everything... There is this huge misconception about the families that use private schools, that they are all attended by very, very wealthy people. They are not." A county council spokesman is quoted in the article, saying: "If a parent chooses to send a child to an independent school without an education, health and care plan, responsibility for meeting speech and language needs lies with the school and family." By Elizabeth Ivens. 

John Claughton, co-founder of WoLLoW (World of Languages, Languages of the World), writes in Tes arguing the government's proposed V levels "appear to be oddly similar to the IB career-related programme". Reflecting on the value of the International Baccalaureate (IB), Mr Claughton says: "The IB has a global reputation and freedom from the pressures and timescales of politics... that's why the government's decision to announce the end of funding for the IB Diploma is so striking, and so disappointing." Describing the IB as "the only serious alternative" to A levels, Mr Claughton warns "now even that seems to be on its way to extermination". 

iNews reports the government has raised tuition fees without knowing whether the policy could backfire on universities in financial crisis. The Department for Education (DfE) has commissioned research into how students may respond to fee changes, and the impact on student numbers, but the results will not be ready until next spring – just months before the September 2026 fee rise is due to take effect. Nick Hillman, founder of the Higher Education Policy Institute, said it is "irresponsible" to make significant policy changes before carrying out a risk assessment. A spokesman for the DfE said: "All policies are informed by pre-existing evidence, including this one, and we will publish an impact assessment in the usual way in due course." By Connie Dimsdale. 

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