ISC Daily News Summary

The Times publishes a number of letters from readers who raise concerns about the government's tax policies. Tom Lawson, headmaster of Eastbourne College, criticises chancellor Rachel Reeves for showing little sympathy for families affected by VAT on school fees, and urges political leaders to show "some dignity" to children whose education has been disrupted as a result of the tax. He says: "They are families and children whose misfortune as a result of fiscal pressures should, at least, be acknowledged."

Peter Smith from Surrey reminds readers that Bridget Phillipson, the education secretary, pledged to use funds raised from the VAT on fees policy to increase teacher numbers by 6,500. Referencing the government's own figures, he notes: "Far from there being any increase the number of teachers actually fell from 2023-24 to 2024-25." The letters appear at the top of the page.

Boys are closing the gap with girls at GCSE, according to government statistics, although hundreds of thousands of pupils are still failing English and maths. More than 222,000 pupils, or 36 per cent of the cohort in England, did not achieve a grade 4 in these key subjects. While girls remain ahead overall, their performance has declined compared with last year, whereas boys have shown slight improvement. The data also shows a wide achievement gap across the country, with 44 per cent of children in the North East achieving a grade 5 in English and maths compared with 50.7 per cent in outer London. By Nicola Woolcock, George Willoughby and Georgia Lambert, The Times.

Thousands of pupils in England are not receiving free school meals despite meeting the eligibility criteria, a new report by the Education Policy Institute (EPI) has found. It says some disadvantaged families struggle to register for them because of a perceived stigma, which makes some parents and carers reluctant to apply. Other contributing factors include language barriers, limited digital access, and a lack of IT skills. Dr Tammy Campbell, co-director for early childhood and wellbeing at the EPI, which is recommending a new system of auto-enrolment as one measure to address the issue, told Sky News "tens of thousands eligible for free school meals are not receiving them". By Anjum Peerbacos.

Ministers are keen to explore ways to encourage schools to use artificial intelligence (AI) tutors for pupils, Tes reports. The Department for Education (DfE) is considering how it can support schools to introduce AI technology for tutoring, but will stress that this will complement, rather than replace, teachers. Commenting on the plans, Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the National Education Union, said such plans will need extra funds for the technology to work, adding: "What disengaged pupils need most is direct contact with teachers with whom they have a relationship." By Cerys Turner.