ISC Daily News Summary

The Scottish Government has been told that failure to act over teacher pay could result in strikes over the winter. Seamus Searson, general secretary of the Scottish Secondary Teachers’ Association (SSTA), warned that the organisation is working closely with English teaching unions, adding that "all the schools in the UK could be closed around the same time". By Emma Seith, Tes.

Following a landmark Supreme Court ruling, schools with permanent staff on term-time-only contracts must calculate their holiday pay based on the hours they work in a normal week, rather than paying them pro-rata based on the number of weeks they work each year. By Freddie Whittaker, Schools Week.

In a question for the Treasury, Rachel Reeves, shadow chancellor of the exchequer, asked the treasurer to "make an estimate of the revenue that would be raised from removing the VAT-exempt status of private schools". In response, Lucy Frazer, financial secretary to the treasury, said: "Many supplies of education, including those provided by eligible independent schools, are exempt from VAT. This means that no VAT is charged to the final consumer, and that the schools cannot recover VAT they incur on their costs." Hansard.

Government officials have warned that 10 out of 11 major Department for Education (DfE) projects have been given “amber” ratings, meaning successful delivery is “feasible” but “significant issues already exist, requiring management attention”. The projects include the rollout of teacher training and T-level reforms, school rebuilds and the National Tutoring Programme. By Tom Belger, Schools Week.

According to new analysis by the Liberal Democrats, the Government's 1.9 per cent increase in funding for mainstream schools next year could actually result in school budgets facing a £2.5bn “pay cut” due to soaring inflation. By Zoe Tidman, The Independent.

Food technology teachers have warned that high inflation could mean the subject becomes “too expensive to teach”, adding that some ingredients have already doubled in price. By Callum Mason, Tes.

An Ofcom report has found that teenagers are more likely to get their news from Instagram and TikTok than BBC bulletins, despite the fact that they consider social media to be far less trustworthy and accurate than traditional media. By Anita Singh, The Telegraph.

A report by the Higher Education Policy Institute has urged universities to do more to track and prevent student homelessness, which is expected to rise because of the cost of living crisis and widening participation in higher education. By Sally Weale, The Guardian.