Scotland has been "disadvantaged on the international stage" following the England-centric introduction of VAT on independent school fees, according to Lorraine Davidson, CEO of the Scottish Council of Independent Schools (SCIS). Speaking at Holyrood's education committee, she said that Labour had ignored the needs of institutions north of the border, and warned more fee-paying schools may now close. SCIS figures indicate independent schools contribute £500 million a year to the Scottish economy, though that number will fall. "This is a policy that is going to cost everybody in Scotland money," warned Ms Davidson. By Catriona Stewart, The Scotsman. 

Children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) will have their right to support reviewed as they move into secondary school, leaked government plans suggest. BBC News understands that under the new system, children will be reassessed as they move through each phase of education. Every child with identified special educational needs, including those who do not currently have an education, health and care plan (EHCP), will have an individual support plan (ISP) drawn up by the school, which will have some kind of legal status. By Branwen Jeffreys. 

The County Council Network has called for SEND school transport to be means tested, as demand continues to rise "at an unsustainable rate". Local authorities are urging the government to be "radical" in its reforms, warning that annual costs for home-to-school transport for children with SEND could soar to £3.4 billion by 2030-31, up from £2 billion last year. By Sally Weale, The Guardian. 

University College London (UCL) has reportedly agreed to pay £21 million to settle a lawsuit brought by students over allegations that teaching standards plummeted during the Covid lockdowns. The deal between UCL and what is thought to be approximately 6,500 students is set to pave the way for similar claims against dozens of other universities over teaching disruption. By Jonathan Ames, The Times. 

The Teachers' Pension Scheme (TPS) is "one of the most generous pension arrangements in the UK", according to Wesleyan Financial Services, yet only 11 per cent of teachers think it offers "very good" value. Unlike most private sector pension plans, the TPS offers a guaranteed income for life in retirement. According to polling conducted by OnePoll on behalf of Wesleyan, 23 per cent of teachers say they would switch the TPS from a defined benefit scheme to a defined contribution scheme, which would rely on investment growth to fund workers' retirements. Tom Selby, head of public policy at investment firm AJ Bell, said: "Given that teachers’ pensions are in fact the gold standard of retirement provision and far more generous than those available to most private sector workers, the suggestion that the vast majority do not view the arrangements as ‘very good’ suggests significant work needs to be done to better promote the benefit." By Callum Mason, iNews. 

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