ISC Daily News Summary

Annabel Denham writes in The Telegraph criticising the Labour Party's plans to add VAT to independent school fees. She writes: "One policy to survive more than a few months without attempts to quietly shelve it is the proposed VAT raid on independent schools. This, we are informed, will help fund Labour’s many spending pledges, though such claims look increasingly shaky." She cites analysis from the Treasury which found that if 100,000 students left independent schools and moved into the state sector, it would cost the government £650 million a year. David Woodgate, head of the Independent Schools’ Bursars Association (ISBA), is quoted having previously warned that “in a lot of families, all of the second income goes on school fees”. Ms Denham explores the wider impact of VAT on schools' ability to provide bursaries, partnerships, and jobs, and warns that the policy "lays the grounds for the sector's destruction". 

A third of staff say guidance for schools on addressing sexual harassment and violence allegations is insufficient, a survey conducted by Tes has revealed. Nearly three-fifths (59 per cent) of teachers, designated safeguarding leads and leaders said they feel safeguarding concerns have risen since last year. Margaret Mulholland, SEND and inclusion specialist at the Association of School and College Leaders, said the Department's for Education's Keeping Children Safe in Education guidance is substantial, totalling 178 pages, adding that “finding the time to give staff sufficient training alongside all the other demands is very difficult”. By Jasmine Norden, Tes. 

Schools are reportedly using their own budgets to stop children going hungry, with nearly 40 per cent of school leaders saying they provide free school meals to pupils who are not eligible. Due to strict eligibility criteria, at least one million children living in poverty in England miss out on free school meals. According to a new survey commissioned by the charity School Food Matters, 38 per cent of 10,000 teachers polled said children in their class were often too hungry to learn, with the number increasing to 63 per cent in the most deprived areas. By Jabed Ahmed, The Independent.

Oracy should be integrated into the curriculum from early years onwards, according to the OCR exam board. In a statement published today, OCR said that “a neglect of spoken language in education is leaving some young people struggling to communicate”. By Jasmine Norden, Tes.

GCSE computer science pupils will learn about the impacts that digital technology (including artificial intelligence) can have on “individuals, wider society, the economy and the environment” under proposed new content. The government is consulting on updated educational content for the qualification, as guidance was last updated in 2015. By Freddie Whittaker, Schools Week.