In an extensive interview with The Telegraph, Peter Hogan, chair of governors at Windermere School, reflects on the government's VAT on fees policy, which has already forced the school to merge its junior and senior schools onto one site. Criticising ministers for a lack of "consultation and nuance in the decision making", he remarks: "Governors used to be quite a benign and supportive presence", adding: "Now we’re having to be actively engaged in really quite challenging commercial decisions." Alongside VAT, another significant pressure has been the spiralling cost of teacher pensions. In April last year, the Teachers’ Pension Scheme (TPS) raised the employer contribution rate from 23.6 to 28.6 per cent of a teacher’s salary, a cost Mr Hogan describes as unaffordable. While state schools have that increase funded by the taxpayer, independent schools must absorb it themselves. The paper also speaks to Katie Lewis, a member of the Friends of Windermere parent community with three children at the school. She admits that the rise in fees has been a "shock to the wallet", but praises the leadership team for being "so forthright and honest" throughout. Mr Hogan explains that such a sense of transparency and partnership with parents is essential if schools like Windermere are to weather the storm. Yet he remains realistic about the challenges ahead: "Everyone is trying different tactics and I’ve got no guarantees for the future of independent education as a whole", he concludes. By Ben East.

Councils have been reminded of their duty under the Armed Forces Covenant, which pledges fair treatment for military families, following "frequent" cases of service children being left without a school place due to special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) failings. Schools Week exclusively reports that it has emerged The Ministry of Defence (MoD) wrote to local authorities earlier this year to highlight how children with complex needs were often unable to find a school after a service-related move. Calling for action, Laurence Turner, Labour MP for Birmingham Northfield, said: "The admission of widespread delays is yet more proof that SEND reform is urgently needed, and I hope that the specific needs of service families is taken into account." By John Dickens. 

Schools are "picking up the pieces" as more pupils start Year R without key skills such as speaking in full sentences or using the toilet independently, according to the findings of a Teacher Tapp survey. A third of teachers have at least five children in their school's reception class who need help with going to the toilet, according to the poll of more than 1,000 primary school teachers in England. Ministers previously announced a target for 75 per cent of children to be at a good level of development on leaving reception by 2028. A Department for Education (DfE) spokesperson told BBC News the government was working to ensure that a record share of children are "school-ready" at the age of five. By Kate McGough. 

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has issued a warning about a "worrying trend" of pupils breaching their own school and college IT systems, either for amusement or as part of dares. Cautioning teachers that they often fail to recognise the so-called "insider threat" that children can pose, the ICO reports that the majority of insider cyber attacks and data breaches in educational settings, including those carried out by someone with access to internal systems, originate with students. Schools are facing an increasing number of cyber attacks, with 44 per cent of schools reporting an attack or breach in the last year according to the government's latest Cyber Security Breaches Survey. By Joe Tidy, BBC News.

The way Ofsted inspects schools is changing. Coming into effect from November, inspections will focus on provision for disadvantaged children, those with special educational needs or disabilities (SEND), and those who are known to social care, with a specific grade for inclusion. The Independent explores the inspectorate's changes, which include new report cards with a five-point grading scale. By Stephanie Wareham.

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