During an evidence session of the Commons Education Select Committee, opposition assistant whip (Commons), Rebecca Paul,  cited ISC chief executive Julie Robinson’s data showing 105 independent schools have closed since VAT was introduced, and pupil numbers have fallen by 33,000. "Do you recognise the negative impact on those children and on the local communities where those schools are closing?", she asked, to which Bridget Phillipson said "these are decisions that individual schools will need to consider".  Ms Paul then highlighted the significant impact on children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), and asked if the education secretary anticipates an increase in class sizes in the state sector as a result. Ms Phillipson repeated the government's claim that the VAT on fees policy will raise revenue for the state sector. House of Commons. 

The Department for Education’s (DfE) legal costs have nearly doubled over five years, Tes can reveal, with spending rising above £3 million in the year to April. Litigation spending by the DfE has also risen by 57 per cent since the last full year of the previous government. Freedom of information data comes after the DfE has been involved in several high-profile legal cases, including the appeal challenge against Labour's VAT on fees policy. Challenging the DfE to defend the costs, Munira Wilson MP, the Liberal Democrats’ spokesperson for education, children and families, told Tes: "Every pound the Department for Education wastes on lawyers is a pound taken directly away from our schools and vulnerable children." 

Bridget Philipson, the education secretary, has claimed the government's VAT on fees policy has not triggered an exodus of pupils into the state sector following the publication of newly published admissions data for England. The admissions data is the first since VAT was imposed, taken from applications to state schools made in October last year for places in the school year starting next September. It shows a decline in overall applications for both primary and secondary school places this year, while nearly 85 per cent of families received their first choice of secondary school place, higher than in 2025 and 2024. The DfE’s 2026 school survey found that while the number of children in schools of all types fell by 1.2 per cent, the numbers at independent schools were down by 3.8 per cent, a fall of 22,000 compared with last year. The Guardian highlights figures from the ISC showing independent schools have lost 30,000 pupils since the introduction of VAT. By Richard Adams. LBC Opinion features an article written by Ms Phillipson, in which she claims "these are not the signs of a system under pressure, but of a system finally rebalancing to the needs of the vast majority of kids who go to state schools and getting stronger for the families who rely on it". 

Ministers have announced that under-16s will be banned from several social media platforms from next spring, but for schools, questions remain about how this will work. Tes explores some of the key queries, including the extent to which schools will be expected to enforce the ban, and whether teachers and students still be allowed to use YouTube for educational purposes. By Jasmine Norden.

Miranda Hart has told educators that having the chance to play at school, by experimenting and trying things out "for the fun of it" were the keys to her being able to thrive as a child. Speaking at a conference entitled The Bright Side of Education at her old school, Downe House, the comedian, writer and actor warned against the negative impact a pure focus on productivity and achievement can have on a person’s wellbeing. The event also included a panel discussion considering key issues facing schools today. Alastair Land, headmaster of Harrow School, which has just announced a major partnership with Downe House, said that he did not think the social contract linking education, hard work and success in employment was broken, but need to be "reframed". On how the aspirations of families attending her school were changing, Emma McKendrick, head of Downe House since 1997, said has seen parents becoming more conscious of their children's wellbeing and happiness. By Irena Barker, School Management Plus.

Highfield and Brookham School in Hampshire has been awarded the Woodland Trust's coveted Gold Award, a landmark achievement in the Green Tree Schools Award programme, reflecting years of genuine, pupil-led environmental commitment.

Set within 175 acres on the edge of the South Downs National Park, the school has woven sustainability and nature into the very fabric of daily life. From pre-prep children exploring the wellbeing garden, observing insects and discovering why leaves turn in autumn, to Year 7 and 8 pupils taking cross-country PE lessons through woodland trails, outdoor learning is woven throughout the curriculum.

The school's eco warriors have driven real change too – touring the on-site biomass facility and successfully persuading the maintenance team to reduce heating by one degree across the whole school, a small but meaningful step in cutting the school's carbon footprint.

The school's head, Suzannah Cryer, says the achievement belongs to everyone: "Our children have genuinely taken ownership of their environment, led initiatives, and made real change happen."

With Gold secured, Highfield and Brookham has now sets its sights on Platinum!

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