ISC Daily News Summary

English teacher and writer Lola Okolosie writes in The Guardian on the subject of plans by the Labour Party to add VAT to independent school fees, posing the question of why the sector should be subsidised "to secure their children a lifetime of advantage". Referencing the Independent Schools Council (ISC) throughout, Ms Okolosie quotes Julie Robinson, chief executive of the ISC, who said: “Parents have a right to choose how they educate their children, it is one of our basic human rights. The parents of children in independent schools just want to do the best for their children and that is not something anyone should stop.”

Teaching union leaders have told iNews they fear that ministers could use high inflation figures to offer lower than expected pay deals, prompting fresh warnings of coordinated industrial action. Dr Mary Bousted, general secretary of the National Education Union (NEU), said: “The government does want to think carefully about this, if they want to avoid enraging an already incredibly disaffected profession further." By Richard Vaughan, iNews.

Writing in Tes, Simon Larter-Evans, headteacher at St Paul's Cathedral School warns that the devaluation of teaching as a vocation is driving staff to leave, but that there is a way to rebuild pride in the profession.

Director of teaching and learning at Eton College Jonnie Noakes, and deputy head (academic) at Holyport College, Adam Bicknell, write in Tes about the rewarding benefits of cross-sector partnerships. The authors explain how their two schools share expertise through a Centre for Innovation and Research in Learning (CIRL) – and why it is a model for more such partnerships in the future.

The maths and reading scores of 13-year-olds in the US have fallen by the largest margin ever recorded, with the results from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) revealing that average maths scores fell by nine points and reading scores by four points between the start of the pandemic in 2020 and 2023. By Rozina Sabur, The Telegraph.

The Times reports that students leaving university this summer are heading into the worst jobs market for seven years, with the number of graduate-level vacancies posted on jobs search engine Adzuna down by a fifth in the past five months. The website is displaying almost 13,000 entry-level jobs for university leavers, almost 12 per cent fewer than at this stage last year, when closer to 15,000 graduate roles were advertised By Tom Howard, The Times.

More disadvantaged students could receive no university offers by 2030 amid increasing demand, Ucas has warned. Analysis by the admissions service suggests that if offer-making behaviour remains the same, almost one in 11 (8.6 per cent) of the most disadvantaged students could receive no offers by the end of the decare due to more competition for places. By Eleanor Busby, The Independent.

More university students are being forced to take on additional hours in their part-time jobs, with most saying that supporting themselves is having an effect on their studies, according to a new study by the Higher Education Policy Institute (Hepi). The survey found 28 per cent of students working 10 or more hours of paid work said they needed the funds to cover most of their living costs. By Richard Adams, The Guardian.