A record number of students have secured their first choice of university this year, with around 250,000 grades for vocational and technical qualifications expected to be released to students in England. By the end of June this year, some 41 per cent of UK 18-year-olds had applied to university, which is a similar proportion to last year, despite increased scrutiny of the long-term cost of university and a renewed focus on technical education. Vivienne Stern, chief executive of Universities UK, expressed concern that "people talking [university] down" could "put off" potential students from the most disadvantaged households. By Hazel Shearing, BBC News. A separate BBC News item looks at what T-levels are and what the grades are worth. BBC News (Charlotte Hadfield and Rorey Bosotti, with BBC teams in schools around the country) and The Times (Nicola Woolcock, Constance Kampfner, Georgia Lambert, Joshua Thurston and Herbie Russell) are reporting live as students open their results.

Boys have achieved a record lead over girls in A-level A* and A grades, with 28.9 per cent of boys securing the top grades compared with 28 per cent of girls, a gap of 0.9 percentage points. Boys have now outperformed girls for the second year running, with the rise thought to be driven partly by higher participation in STEM subjects such as maths. Regionally, London continued to dominate in results this year, with 32.7 per cent of grades awarded A* or A, up from 27.4 per cent a decade ago, which gives the capital a 9.6 percentage point gap over the North East, the largest on record and up from 5.3 points in 2016. The North West, East Midlands and Eastern England have all seen a decline in the top grades. By Albert Tait and Ben Butcher, The Telegraph. The paper also includes an interactive grade-comparison tool allowing readers to see how their results, or those of their child, compare with the wider cohort across the subjects they took. By Ollie Corfe and Mariana HallalI.

The Guardian is one of a number of outlets quoting new prime minister Andy Burnham who has congratulated students on their achievements. He said: "I know there will have been a mix of excitement, nerves and relief this morning, but you should all be proud of the hard work that got you here. It's brilliant to see more students succeeding in T-levels, more taking maths and Stem subjects, and more young people progressing to the next stage of their education or training." The paper's earlier coverage was by Harry Borg, while its current livestream is by Tom Ambrose.

The Telegraph reports that rising costs following the introduction of VAT on fees are prompting more parents to negotiate discounts, payment arrangements and additional bursary support to keep private education affordable. Advisers say schools are seeing more requests for fee reductions and financial support, while some families are reportedly moving from boarding to day places or changing schools amid rising costs. The article notes that Sompting Abbots in West Sussex announced last week that it will not be reopening next month, citing "financial pressures". Commenting on the impact of Labour's tax policy, Saqib Bhatti MP, a Conservative shadow minister for education, told the paper: "Labour's ideological Schools Tax is forcing schools to close, disrupting children's education and placing even greater pressure on the state sector. It's little wonder that some schools are having to negotiate with parents over fees. Hardworking families are being pushed to the brink simply for wanting to send their children to private schools, yet they face being priced out by this left-wing attack on aspiration.” The paper invites readers to share their experiences by emailing [email protected]. By Madeleine Ross. 

In a column today, The Telegraph's money news editor, Emma Munbodh, says Labour politicians face accusations of hypocrisy for supporting the party's VAT on fees policy while some continue to send their own children to independent schools. She argues that the policy was intended to reduce inequality and raise money for state education, but says the number of children leaving independent schools and the scaling back of Labour's teacher recruitment pledge raise questions about whether it is achieving its aims. "The decision to opt out of the state system is a personal one, but for a politician at the forefront of policy, it is also a public statement", she adds.

A mobile phone ban in Edinburgh schools has come into effect, even though the pouches for securing devices are not yet available. Primary school pupils will need to keep their phones in cabinets during the day, while secondary school pupils have been told they will have to lock them in magnetically sealed pouches. Edinburgh Council said the ban is still in place and mobiles should be kept turned off and out of sight during the school day, including breaks, adding that the new pouches will not be ready until next month at the earliest due to system testing. BBC News.

Artificial intelligence (AI) company Anthropic has said it plans to embed hidden patterns in text produced by its Claude bot, in effect applying an invisible fingerprint to passages of words. The watermark, which will be undetectable to humans, will allow teachers to identify text that has been computer-generated. Responding to the proposals, Pepe Di'Iasio, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said he hopes other platforms follow suit and that "this becomes an industry standard". By James Titcomb, The Telegraph. 

Writing in School Management Plus, Robert Garvey, headmaster at Wetherby Senior School in London, looks at why UK students are turning to overseas universities, and what schools can do to support young people looking to study abroad. "Today's pupils have access to information, virtual open days and social media content from universities around the world. As a result, they are approaching their future with a broader outlook than previous generations," he explains, adding: "Schools should create a culture where exploring international options is seen as a legitimate part of university guidance rather than an unusual exception."

In a new blog for the ISC, Clare Kirkham shares the experiences that have shaped her first year as head of Bedales Prep School. She writes: "If this year has taught me anything, it's that we've been asking the wrong question. Instead of asking how we prepare children for the future, perhaps we should ask how we give them the kind of childhood that helps them thrive when that future comes."

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