A fresh legal challenge against Labour’s VAT on fees policy has been launched by Christian parents and headteachers. The Court of Appeal was told yesterday that low-cost Christian independent schools serving disadvantaged communities had been disproportionately hit by the tax, which was introduced in January last year. The court heard the policy was discriminatory and breached the European Convention on Human Rights by undermining the right to education, while lawyers for Christian schools said religious pupils’ needs could not be fully met in the state system. Among those bringing the case to the Royal Courts of Justice were Emmanuel School in Derby, the Branch Christian School in West Yorkshire, the Wyclif Independent Christian School in South Wales and The King’s School in Hampshire. Highlighting the "great personal sacrifice" made by families seeking an education "rooted in faith and values", Caroline Santer, head of The King’s School, said: "The VAT policy is already forcing parents into heart-breaking decisions and putting schools on the brink of closure. If this continues, it will dismantle decades of work in building Christian education that meets the needs of children academically and spiritually." Reinforcing Ms Santer's concerns, Stephen White, a self-employed father from Bradford, said: "This policy forces families like mine into an impossible choice. We live simply so we can send our children to a school shaped by our faith." The Telegraph notes that small faith schools had previously lobbied ministers to exempt them from VAT, proposing the tax should only apply to fees above a certain threshold. Reference is made to figures from the ISC showing 105 independent schools have closed since the tax policy was introduced. By Pieter Snepvangers.

iNews explores the impact of the VAT on fees policy, with some independent schools severing religious ties, forming alliances, and going co-educational to survive a "second wave" of closures. A number of headteachers and education experts share their concerns, warning that the sector faces further challenges over the coming year. Christian San José, head of Wycliffe College, told the paper that "the operating environment for schools has not improved and, if anything, is tougher for many than it was 12 months ago" amid increasing financial pressures. Rudolf Eliott Lockhart, CEO of the Independent Schools Association (ISA), warned: "The adverse effects of this misguided policy will undoubtedly continue to play out for some time to come, and we are likely to see further consolidation and closures in the sector." David Woodgate, chief executive of the Independent Schools’ Bursars Association (ISBA), estimated last summer that the imposition of VAT would force between 150 and 200 schools to close. He told iNews that although he believes his assessment "remains realistic", schools are taking measures to "face up to the challenges of VAT" such as reorganisation, staff redundancy and mergers. Nicholas Pietrek, head of Stafford Grammar School, added that the tax is "now starting to really bite". By Connie Dimsdale.

Writing in City AM, Henry Vaughan, VP of growth at Selina Finance, assesses the impact of Labour's VAT on fees policy on Londoners, following ISC data showing more than 100 school closures since its introduction – with around one in five in and around the capital. On the importance of fee assistance schemes, Mr Vaughan says: "Independent schools are right to ensure the support is there for the families who need it most as a result of the recent VAT hike. The issue for many Londoners is that they are asset rich by dint of geography, yet their wealth is tied up in property leaving them unable to cover rising fees." 

Thousands of teenagers are to take part in a world-first trial to see if a social media curfew helps their mental health. Researchers from the NHS and Cambridge University are launching a study limiting the participants to one hour of social media a day, as well as a complete block between 9pm and 7am. The teenagers will have a research app installed on their devices to prevent them accessing sites such as TikTok, YouTube, Instagram and X (formerly Twitter) during the six-week study. The news comes as peers prepare to vote today on a social media ban for under-16s. By Sarah Knapton and Charles Hymas, The Telegraph.

'Six-seven' has been voted children's slang word of the year following a survey by Oxford University Press. The research, which was conducted in 2025 and gathered the views of almost 5,000 children across the UK aged 6-14, saw nearly half choose it as their slang word of the year. The children said they associate it with "fun" and having a "laugh", despite it having no real meaning. BBC Newsround.

Ministers have reached "crunch time" over special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) reform as the government's spending is expected to more than double in real terms by 2028, largely at the expense of mainstream schools, the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) has warned. IFS research fellow Luke Sibieta said that making the system financially sustainable while delivering short-term savings will be a "crucial test" for the delayed Schools White Paper. He added that the government must either slow SEND spending, accept continued pressure on mainstream schools, or fund it through higher taxes or cuts elsewhere. Tes. Also reported on by Eir Nolsøe for The Telegraph and Richard Adams for The Guardian.

Matt Wrack, general secretary of the NASUWT teachers’ union, has told iNews that giving every teacher extra SEND training under the government's proposed reforms could pull them "away from the classroom" when resources are already "strained". Warning that the £200 million funding package to boost SEND training does not resolve the "problem of understaffing", he also questioned when staff members would have the time to take on additional training. By Connie Dimsdale.

In a letter to The Times, Louise Simpson, chief executive of the British School in the Netherlands, says ministers have "finally acknowledged... that UK education is of the highest quality and is a valuable export" in urging schools and universities to set up campuses overseas. Noting that independent schools have long been expanding abroad, she concludes: "How ironic that when it suits, the government embraces the innovation, ideas and attributes of the UK’s world-leading independent schools sector." The letter appears above halfway.

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