ISC Daily News Summary

The prospect of Labour adding VAT to school fees could mean more satellite schools are established in Asia, the Middle East and Europe to bring in more revenue, iNews reports. Dr Fiona Rogers, deputy chief executive of the Council of British International Schools (COBIS), said: “The number of UK independent schools establishing an overseas footprint is continuing to increase steadily.” A spokesperson from the Independent Schools Council (ISC) added: “As schools look for ways to reduce their reliance on fee-based income, some have taken up opportunities to establish international campuses and partnerships. The money generated is invested back in education in the UK, usually through bursaries and scholarships.” By Sally Guyoncourt.

Ben Horan, headmaster at Prior Park College, writes to The Times commending the government's new guidance on banning mobile phone usage in schools, saying it supports the "primary duty" of all schools to keep young people safe. He encourages others to "welcome the policy as a step in the right direction towards a culture in which mobile phones for young people are seen as a risk, not a right".

In a separate letter, Leo Winkley, headmaster at Shrewsbury School, writes: “While there is nothing particularly wrong with this latest guidance, a much more urgent focus for action is the proliferation of online platforms, channels and influences through which children may be exposed to harmful content, however active the school’s cyber-protection systems.”

The letters can be found at the top of the page.

The government has been accused of failing parents after analysis by the Labour Party found the cost of childcare has risen one third faster than inflation since the Conservatives came to power in 2010. According to the analysis, the price of a part-time nursery place has increased from £82 per week in 2010 to £146 now. By Alexandra Rogers, Sky News.

The Independent exclusively reveals that thousands of teachers, student nurses, and midwives are leaving their courses or skipping training altogether because the government's free childcare scheme does not include them. Several campaign groups, including Mumsnet and Save the Children, are calling on chancellor Jeremy Hunt to extend the government’s free childcare scheme to all parents in training, not just those in paid work. By Maya Oppenheim.

Ministers have rejected calls by a House of Lords committee to reform GCSEs and secondary education, but they have provided new details on their assessment of the issues outlined. Schools Week lists four of the main responses to the recommendations made by the committee. By Samantha Booth.

In an editorial piece, The Guardian shares its view on the special needs crisis in schools. It argues ministers have created "a destructive standoff between families, councils and schools" by failing to properly fund their own policy around education, health and care plans (EHCPs).