Sick days among pupils went up by 50 per cent during the latest flu season, according to analysis by the Royal Society for Public Health. It found the school absence rate due to illness increased from three per cent in October to an average of 4.5 per cent during the peak of the 2025-26 flu season, which is a 50 per cent increase in the number of sessions missed from October and equal to around a million extra half days missed each week. The findings have prompted calls for ministers to roll out the flu vaccine to all schools before the autumn half-term break. Tes.

Writing in School Management Plus, Jess Darke, head of Year 13 and an English teacher at Harrow International School Hong Kong, explains how encouraging sixth formers to be curious can help their academic enrichment. Reflecting on some of the measures introduced at her own school, including fireside chats and success sessions, Ms Darke suggests colleagues "lead by example" and "start small". She concludes: "It’s the most impactful thing I’ve done as head of year, and the most important."

Former Conservative home secretary and Reform UK MP Suella Braverman was yesterday named as the party’s education and skills spokesperson. Speaking to the media, Ms Braverman claimed a "quiet crisis has taken hold" across schools, with the authority of teachers being "eroded" by "violence and disorder". She also said a Reform government would "absolutely ban" social transitioning in schools. By Ruth Lucas, Schools Week.

One in six independent schools has left the Teachers' Pension Scheme (TPS) since the VAT on fees policy was confirmed, according to a Freedom of Information request by The Telegraph. The data shows a total of 1,066 independent schools were members of the TPS on 29 July 2024, the day Labour confirmed it would introduce the tax. By January this year, however, the number had dropped to just 880, a fall of 17 per cent. Speaking to the paper, David Woodgate, chief executive of the Independent Schools' Bursars Association, said schools’ departures from the scheme are not solely attributable to the VAT on fees policy. "It’s been a trend over seven years since employer contributions increased from 16 per cent to 23 per cent in 2019 and then to 28.68 per cent in 2024," he said, adding: "However, the pressures of VAT on school fees, abolition of business rates relief and the National Insurance increases have stimulated a new wave of consultations and potential withdrawals." Looking ahead, Mr Woodgate concluded: "Schools that might have stayed in the TPS will be looking at consultations with staff in a materially-changed financial situation." By Rob White.

In opinion pieces for iNews, head of Mill Hill School David Benson and author and historian Eliot Wilson reflect on their experiences of leading, and attending, independent schools. 

Mr Benson, who has been a head at both state and independent schools, outlines some of the key differences he has noticed during his career, and says: "The first thing to note is that the obvious arguments – smaller class sizes, better facilities and development of 'soft skills' – are not, to my mind, the main differences." He adds that by working in the independent sector, staff "have the space to consider what a truly excellent education looks like beyond just grades, and the resources to bring that vision to life". 

Mr Wilson shares his experience of having attended an independent school, and concludes: "Was I pushed to do my best? Unequivocally yes."

In our latest blog, Gary Henderson and Dr Neelam Parmar from the ISC Digital Strategy Group share their reflections from this year's Bett Show. "The main thing about Bett, the thing which makes me keep coming back, is the people. It is the teachers, the school leaders, the IT professionals, and vendor staff," says Mr Henderson. Echoing his comments, Dr Parmar concludes: "I leave feeling grateful for the conversations, encouraged by the innovation I saw, and excited about the collaborations that will continue well beyond these three busy days."

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