Pupil numbers at independent schools in Scotland have fallen by nearly 2,000 since the introduction of the VAT on fees policy, the Scottish Council of Independent Schools (SCIS) has warned. A census of members shows there were 25,919 pupils in the present academic year, compared with 27,781 at the same point in the previous year. Calling for ministers "to admit it got its sums badly wrong and reverse this vindictive and flawed policy", SCIS chief executive Lorraine Davidson told The Times: "We warned the UK government that imposing VAT on fees would damage state education in Scotland, and harm the economy, and unfortunately we have been proved correct. The SCIS annual census shows thousands of extra pupils are now being educated at the taxpayers’ expense, and many young people can’t find a state school place in their local area due to the pressure this is causing on the state system." Scottish Conservative education spokesman Miles Briggs said the "stark figures" show the tax policy is "having the completely opposite effect to what [ministers] claimed". He added: "Their flawed policy is undermining the sector’s contribution to the economy and is putting a greater burden on Scotland’s state schools, who are already overwhelmed due to SNP cuts." Fettes College, The Edinburgh Academy and Gordonstoun are cited as examples of schools that have shared their concerns about the impact of the VAT policy and financial pressures on independent schools. By Neil Pooran. Also covered by Catriona Stewart for The Scotsman. 

Sana el-Azab is beginning a scholarship at Durham University after surviving war and the collapse of Gaza’s education system. Before leaving, she ran a makeshift school for displaced children amid bombing and deprivation, teaching them everything from English to "survival skills". While relieved to be safe, she struggles with guilt and worry for her family left behind, determined to use her education to help rebuild Gaza in the future. "I hope this is an opportunity that can be built on because the needs are massive," she says. This is the first time that Sana, and other Palestinian students evacuated to the UK, have spoken publicly. By Caroline Hawley, BBC News.

The Guardian also speaks to students from Gaza who are beginning their studies in the UK. Among them are Abdallah, a young doctor in London, and Soha, a midwife in Belfast, who describe their emotions as they adjust to life in a new country. Despite the upheaval, both remain determined to use their education to help rebuild their communities back home. By Sally Weale.

The University of Oxford has topped the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings for the 10th year running. It is joined in the top 10 by Cambridge, which has gone from fifth place in last year's edition to joint third place. THE ranked 109 UK institutions out of 2,191, and this was the first year that the UK had fewer than 50 universities in the top 500. By Ethan Gudge, BBC News.

Cases of very young children taking knives into primary schools have been revealed by a BBC investigation. Police in Kent reported an assault involving a four-year-old pupil, while officers in the West Midlands recorded that a flick knife had been taken into class by a six-year-old. The mother of Harvey Willgoose, a teenager killed by another pupil in Sheffield, has called on ministers to fund metal detectors, commonly known as "knife arches", in all UK schools and colleges. Describing the figures as shocking, Ms Willgoose told BBC News that "kids are going to school frightened". By Ruth Green, Fiona Trott and Gerry Georgieva. 

UK schools and local authorities are being contacted by Puffin after staff discovered that a website address included in a popular children’s book series had been hijacked by a pornography site. The publisher has urged school libraries to remove the books after a website address printed in Andrew Cope's Spy Dog, Spy Pups and Spy Cat series was redirected to unrestricted adult content. Puffin said sales of the affected books, which are aimed at seven- to 12-year-olds, had been "immediately paused", and that colleagues were working to have libraries take the books off their shelves. By Richard Adams, The Guardian.

The Princess of Wales has warned about the dangers of screentime for children, in a call to action urging families to invest in their relationships. Writing alongside Professor Robert Waldinger of Harvard University, Kate warns of the perils of modern life and its impact on a family’s emotional health. She says: "We live increasingly lonelier lives, which research shows is toxic to human health, and it’s our young people (aged 16 to 24) that report being the loneliest of all. While new technology has many benefits, we must also acknowledge that it plays a complex and often troubling role in this epidemic of disconnection." By Kate Mansey, The Times. 

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