A sixth-former and a university student have died in an outbreak of meningitis in Kent, while 11 more from the Canterbury area are seriously ill in hospital. The UK Health Security Agency is providing updates to more than 30,000 students, staff and their families. Meningitis, which is an infection of the protective membranes that surround the brain and spinal cord, can lead to sepsis. The MenACWY vaccine gives protection against four common strains of meningitis and is usually offered in school to teenagers in Year 9. By Tom Gould, The Times. 

In its report on the outbreak, BBC News includes a list of the symptoms of meningitis and sepsis. By Mark Norman and Patrick Barlow. 

The Sunday Telegraph publishes a letter from Christopher Helyer, a past chairman of the Choir Schools’ Association and former head of Exeter Cathedral School, who expresses his sadness at the news the school is to close. Mr Helyer reflects on his own experience working with cathedral choirs, noting that the "highest quality" choristers have historically come from both choir schools and state schools. "Surely the time has come for positive approaches to be made to local authorities, in the hope that some future choristers might be educated in maintained schools," he concludes.
This is the last letter on the page.

Half of parents with children aged under six do not play with them every day, according to an annual study by the National Literacy Trust and accounting firm KPMG. The figures mark a dramatic fall since 2019, when nearly three quarters of parents played with their children each day. The charity Play England defines play as "what children do when they follow their own ideas and interests, in their own way and for their own reasons", but academics have warned that playtime is increasingly competing with screen time. By Louise Eccles, The Sunday Times. 

In an interview with Tes, Paul Ramchandani, professor of play in education, development and learning at the University of Cambridge, explains how schools can show parents the value of play. Outlining the benefits, he says: "Early parent-child play is associated very strongly with better parent-child relationships and better socioemotional development for children." By Ellen Peirson-Hagger.

School leaders met in Liverpool last week for the annual conference of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL). Schools Week ran a live blog on what was said by speakers including education secretary Bridget Phillipson, Ofsted chief inspector Martyn Oliver and ASCL general secretary Pepe Di’Iasio. By Freddie Whittaker, with updates from Lydia Chantler-Hicks. 

Ms Phillipson accused some lawyers of exploiting parents of children with special educational needs (SEND) by profiting from legal disputes over support. Addressing delegates, she argued that the current system is overly adversarial and unfair, as families who can afford lawyers often secure better outcomes. "It’s a fundamentally unfair system if parents who’ve got the money to hire lawyers end up getting a better deal than those who don’t," she said. By Richard Adams, The Guardian. 

During the conference, Mr Di’Iasio voiced concern over the rhetoric of some politicians on immigration and the divisive role of social media platforms. The warning follows an ASCL survey revealing that over a third (36 per cent) of school and college leaders have reported students or teachers enduring racial harassment during their journeys to and from school. Calling for action, he said: "I would encourage everyone to take care with the language they use. Words and actions have consequences in the real world." By Jasmine Norden, The Independent. 

Lewisham Council has advised teachers to avoid giving after-school detentions during Ramadan. The guidance, issued to schools for the holy month, says that Muslim pupils facing punishment should be allowed to return home to break their fast, and teachers should "consider alternative sanctions during this period". The guidance was created in partnership with the Standing Advisory Council on Religious Education, which is a body that each council is required to establish. By Craig Simpson, The Telegraph.

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.