This week’s Friday Feature highlights talented dancer Kent Hayward from Westholme School who has returned home as a World Dance Cup Champion after an unforgettable international competition in Mexico. Kent, who is 13, travelled with the Phoenix Company to compete in the prestigious event, performing in solo, duet and group categories against exceptional young dancers from across the globe. Their hard work paid off, with Phoenix securing multiple medals, including two golds and a silver in group performances, before being crowned World Champions in the X-pirit World Cup.

Kent, who has been dancing since the age of four, trains in modern, ballet, tap, commercial, acro and theatre. He was selected from around 30 dancers to represent the company in Mexico after a successful audition and fundraising campaign to support the once-in-a-lifetime trip. While his parents watched via live stream from home, Kent performed on the world stage with confidence and flair. 

Now in Year 8 at Westholme, Kent has embraced school life, recently performing in the school’s production of Miss Saigon, singing in concerts and playing piano as a soloist. He is also preparing to audition for an upcoming production of Mary Poppins. 

If you have a good news story you would like to share with us, please email [email protected] to be considered for inclusion.

A record number of term-time school holiday fines were issued in England last year, according to new figures from the Department for Education. A total of 459,288 school holiday fines were issued in 2024-25, up by four per cent on the previous year and accounting for 93 per cent of all fines issued for unauthorised school absence. It is the first set of data which includes a change in the rules on holiday fines from 2024, which increased each fine from £60 to £80 per parent, per child. BBC News examines why families opt to take their children on holiday during the term, and speaks to Chris, an RAF officer from Staffordshire, who says his military commitments have prevented his family from travelling in school holidays. "Learning those life skills and some of that cultural awareness that they're picking up by having these holidays far outweighs the fact that they missed five days in education," he adds. By Alix Hattenstone and Hayley Clarke, with additional reporting by Jonathan Fagg, Ema Sabljak and Lauren Woodhead. 

In a written question in the House of Commons, Opposition Assistant Whip David Reed asked how many independent single-sex schools have a) closed or b) changed their admissions policy to become coeducational since 1 January 2025. Responding, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State Olivia Bailey said five girls’ single-sex schools and two boys’ single-sex schools have closed since the start of January last year. "The department does not collect data on how many schools have changed their admissions policy to become dual-sex," she added. Hansard.

The Times visits the London Academy of Excellence (LAE), a state sixth-form in Newham that secured 62 Oxbridge offers this year, earning the nickname "Eton of the East End". The LAE, which is supported by Eton College and Brighton College, supports high-attaining pupils regardless of income, with around half of offer-holders from disadvantaged backgrounds. Alex Crossman, the LAE's executive head, says the results show "the untapped potential that exists in our communities". By Georgia Lambert.

North London Collegiate School (NLCS) is partnering with an artificial intelligence (AI) platform to study classroom practice across multiple countries and school types, aiming to identify what makes teaching most effective. Two English state schools from the Central Region Schools Trust will also take part, alongside platform Aristotal AI. Commenting on the initiative, Vicky Bingham, head of NLCS, told School Management Plus: "This research sits at the heart of our commitment to professional excellence and evidence informed practice…we want to understand and document what outstanding teaching looks like at NLCS, and to contribute to the wider national and international conversation about how pedagogy is evolving." The study will take place over the next two terms and the partnership will publish its initial findings this summer.

White disadvantaged girls have seen the sharpest drop in attainment among the major pupil groups, according to analysis of Department for Education data by Tes, prompting calls for targeted action. The analysis shows that the proportion of white girls on free school meals (FSM) who obtain grade 4s in GCSE English and maths has fallen by nearly six per cent since before the pandemic, while the figure for white boys on FSM has risen by 6.6 per cent. Voicing concern, Nicole McCartney, chief executive of Creative Education Trust, said: "The data shows we must stop reading the narrowing gender gap as a sign of success." By Charlotte Santry.

The Independent Schools Council (ISC) monitors the national and educational press in order to keep independent schools up-to-date with relevant education news. The DNS is a service primarily for schools in membership of ISC associations, although other interested parties can choose to sign-up. We endeavour to include relevant news and commentary and, wherever possible, notable public letters. Where capacity allows, we may include links to ISC blogs, press statements and information about school or association events. News stories are selected based on their relevance to the independent sector as a whole. Editorial control of the DNS remains solely with the ISC.

Sign-up to the email service is available on our website.

Members can contact the ISC if they know in advance of news, letters or opinions that are likely to feature in the media, or are aware of existing coverage which they would like to see featured in the DNS.

Headlines and first-line summaries are written by the ISC with the link directing to the source material. You should read and comply with the terms and conditions of the websites to which we link.