ISC Daily News Summary

In a letter to The Telegraph, Rhidian Llewellyn, a London-based governor of an independent school, highlights the significance of independent schools in nurturing elite sporting talent. Writing on the occasion of Schools Open Finals Day at Lord’s, which will see Clifton College facing Rugby School, he points out that many current England cricketers attended independent schools, and suggests that most likely benefited from scholarships or bursaries. Mr Llewellyn concludes: "I know the impact that VAT on school fees, business rates and the increase in employers’ National Insurance have had on the sector, not least in the ability to fund such awards."

The letter, which mentions a number of other schools in membership of the ISC's constituent associations, appears halfway down the page.

The Telegraph’s Brexit Editor, Dia Chakravarty, criticises ministers for "attacking the one British institution which can quite legitimately claim to be the envy of the world: our independent schools". Highlighting their international reputation, Ms Chakravarty states that independent schools are "so highly regarded abroad that they currently operate 115 satellite campuses, educating a total of 86,865 pupils around the world". Outlining her fears over the consequences of the VAT on fees policy, which include international students joining "the exodus of an already rising number of British children being priced out of private schools", she warns that the tax means wealth has become "an even more important factor in deciding whether a child can access private education in this country". Reference is made to figures from the Independent Schools Council (ISC).

Research showing that children in England’s deprived areas are disproportionately denied foreign-language learning has prompted experts to urge ministers to make language access a national priority. This year’s Language Trends report by the British Council surveyed 1,000 primary, secondary and independent schools, and revealed the proportion of pupils studying a modern language GCSE in less affluent English state schools was 38 per cent lower than in the most affluent, and 12 per cent lower than the average. Commenting on the findings, professor Charles Forsdick, the lead fellow for languages at the British Academy, said: "We’re at real risk of language education being accessible only to young people in the most affluent schools in England." By Anna Bawden, The Guardian.

Parents are being prevented from vaccinating their children due to "practical or logistical reasons" such as difficulty scheduling appointments and a lack of reminders on what vaccines are needed and when, according to a report from the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health. Falling vaccine uptake in the UK over the past decade has fuelled measles and whooping cough outbreaks, and health officials are pledging to work with the NHS to boost childhood immunisation. By Philippa Roxby, BBC News.