ISC Daily News Summary

Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng has announced a cut to national insurance (NI) rates, meaning schools will pay lower contributions on behalf of their staff, however no school funding increase has been pledged. By Freddie Whittaker, Schools Week.

Union leaders have criticised the lack of investment for education in the mini Budget, with Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, suggesting the chancellor deems growth in the sector "unimportant". By Callum Mason, Tes.

Unveiling the mini Budget last Friday, Mr Kwarteng said ministers will outline a series of reforms by the end of the year designed to bring down the rising cost of childcare. By Daniel Martin, The Telegraph.

The Times reports millions of public sector workers fact a two-year pay squeeze before the next general election, after the Government dropped plans for a new spending review. By Steven Swinford.

The Independent reports some headteachers have been forced to launch a campaign to fund basic classroom supplies, as strained budgets leave schools "on a knife edge". By Zoe Tidman.

Vic Goddard, head of Passmores Cooperative Learning Community, has warned the Government's energy support package is not enough to solve the crisis. By Charlie Jones, BBC News.

Gareth Bridges, chief financial and operating officer at Marches Academy Trust, has said its 10 schools still face "a significant increase in costs" despite the energy price cap. By Rob Trigg, BBC News.

As part of its Scottish Independent Schools Review, The Sunday Times reports on the range of bursaries and scholarships available for families in Scotland, the ways independent schools are embracing and promoting LGBT+ inclusivity, the modifications some schools are making to uniform rules to give children more freedom to express themselves, and the impact of Everyone's Invited on schools' efforts to tackle gender-based violence. By Gabriella Bennett. The articles quote staff members at several schools in membership of the ISC's constituent associations, mention the Girls' Day School Trust and reference figures from the Independent Schools Council.

Sir Graham Brady, a senior Conservative MP, has said that efforts to lift the ban on new grammar schools will "almost certainly" be delayed until after the next election if the Government's Schools Bill does not proceed in this Parliament. By Freddie Whittaker, Schools Week.

Ministers are to review guidelines on how schools should approach gender identity after settling a court case with parents who had been accused of being transphobic for refusing to support transgender affirming policies. This could lead to the scrapping of the "Cornwall" transgender policies, which advise that schools create gender-neutral toilets and allow pupils to wear clothes "they feel are reflective of their gender identity, rather than their biological sex". By Jonathan Ames, The Times.

According to The Telegraph, a transgender children's charity has been offering binders, which are chest-flattening devices, to 14-year-olds against their parents' wishes, prompting calls for an immediate investigation by the Charity Commission. By Hayley Dixon.

A new survey by the National Governance Association has found that almost twice as many schools are struggling to recruit teachers in 2022 compared with last year. By John Roberts, Tes.

According to Schools Week, Ofqual is giving schools a two-week window to submit evidence as part of its review into delays to this year's BTEC results. By Samantha Booth.

BBC News reports workers at the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) have accepted a revised pay offer, which will see the pay of hundreds of staff increase by between 5.9 per cent and 8.9 per cent depending on their salary.