Bridget Phillipson has said she is "heartbroken" at the news that two pupils were stabbed at Kingsbury High School yesterday. A 13-year-old boy was arrested and a counter-terror investigation has been launched following the incident, which happened at the north-west London academy for children aged 11 to 18. In 2023, Mayor of London Sir Sadiq Khan said that metal detectors would be available for schools in a bid to protect pupils from knife crime, but ministers recently confirmed they are not considering installing mandatory metal detectors in schools. By Aurelia Foster, BBC News.

Tutors are being paid up to £250 an hour to support young people with anxiety through entrance exams for state and independent schools, with agencies reporting that more families are seeking help with their child’s emotional regulation and for those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). Education experts including Nathaniel McCullagh, founder and managing director of Simply Learning Tuition, tell The Times that tutoring now goes beyond traditional subjects. Mr McCullagh, whose agency fees typically range from £100 to £150 an hour online and up to £250 an hour in person, says: "Perhaps most striking is the rise in tuition to support anxiety and special educational needs." By Nicola Woolcock. 

Writing to The Telegraph, Ian Kenny from Hampshire notes that the introduction of Labour's VAT on fees policy has prompted some families to move children into state sixth forms, leaving these colleges oversubscribed. He says: "This is not levelling up. It is levelling down. It disadvantages precisely the children that the imposition of VAT on school fees was supposed to help."
The letter appears second to last.

In a letter to The Times, Jennifer Galton-Fenzi from Devon says she was dismayed to read that more young children are being intensively tutored for grammar school entry because their parents can no longer afford an independent education. "This is surely an unintended consequence of the government’s treatment of private schools, and the losers will be clever children whose parents cannot afford tutors, or don’t know about them," she warns.
The letter appears just above halfway.

Restricting phone use in schools does not improve pupil wellbeing, according to a study from the University of Birmingham. It found no significant difference in measures such as worry, sadness and optimism for Year 8 and 10 students at secondary schools with more relaxed mobile phone policies in comparison to those with more restrictive rules. The findings come as ministers launch a three-month consultation on whether to introduce a social media ban for under-16s. According to data from the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, 99.9 per cent of primary schools and 90 per cent of secondaries have mobile phone policies in place. Readers are invited to vote on whether mobile phones should be banned from schools. By Charles Hymas, The Telegraph.

Today, we are delighted to present two new blogs that highlight how schools are supporting pupils' wellbeing and emotional resilience.

Amy Beesley from King William’s College talks about how her school and The Buchan School on the Isle of Man are marking Place2Be’s Children’s Mental Health Week, centred around the theme 'This is My Place'. Ms Beesley shares some of the strategies the schools use to foster wellbeing throughout the year, and explains why communication is so important in helping young people "develop the language and confidence to express how they are feeling and to seek support when needed".

In the second of today's blogs, Matthew Burke, head of Beaulieu Convent School, explains why working in partnership, sharing best practice, and engaging in healthy discussions are key to supporting children’s mental health. "The challenge for schools is not to shield them from the world entirely, but to equip them with the emotional literacy, resilience, and moral compass to navigate it well," he says.

In a written question in the House of Commons, Labour MP Jayne Kirkham asked what steps the education secretary has taken to prevent parents from avoiding paying VAT on independent school fees by paying several years' fees in advance. Responding, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State Olivia Bailey said: "All fees paid since the tax changes were announced on 29 July 2024, in relation to terms after 1 January 2025, are subject to VAT. HMRC is scrutinising the detail of any pre-payment schemes and stands ready to challenge the validity of these schemes." Hansard.

Robin Macpherson, head of Robert Gordon’s College in Aberdeen, has said the mental health crisis affecting teenage boys could be averted by having more male teachers in Scottish classrooms, and that high suicide rates among young men could be alleviated if they saw strong male role models. In an opinion piece for The Scotsman, Mr Macpherson said: "I can’t prove that these issues are directly linked, but my professional experience tells me that teenage boys who are struggling with relationships and self-esteem would benefit hugely from having a male English teacher who can help them navigate these incredibly difficult years." Scotland’s most recent teacher census shows that 66 per cent of secondary teachers are female, a number that has steadily increased since 2011. By Catriona Stewart.

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