- Independent schools: 'What's wrong with profits if they create employment?'
- Letters: VAT on fees and the value of learning Latin
- Almost all teachers want social media restrictions for under-18s, poll finds
- The benefits of shrinking Reception class sizes
- Why lying like a Traitor can actually help teens develop
Independent schools: 'What's wrong with profits if they create employment?'
Independent sectorIn an opinion piece for iNews, columnist Hamish McRae reflects on the perception of the independent sector, arguing that several important features are often overlooked. He notes that independent schools in the UK are small by international standards, unusually separate from the state system, and yet highly successful as a global export. "If you see UK independent schools as a business, then you should also see them as hugely successful exporters, a booming service industry in what is globally a strong growth market," he writes, adding: "What is wrong with profits if they create employment at home and abroad, particularly if these help subsidise students in the UK who need financial help?".
Letters: VAT on fees and the value of learning Latin
LettersWriting to The Times, Mark Mortimer from Perth argues that the government’s 13 policy U-turns in 18 months expose weakness and a lack of clear purpose. He says it is "dispiriting" that ministers are maintaining the VAT on fees policy, "despite it having been shown to be counterproductive and despite the fact that it penalises children". The letter appears at the top of the page.
A number of readers have letters published in The Telegraph following Philip Womack's recent article on the importance of learning Latin. Hubert Pragnell from Kent highlights The King's School, Canterbury, as an example of how strong teaching sustains excellence in Latin and other minority subjects, and calls for the subject to be made available to pupils in state and independent schools "for the enrichment of their minds, and to provide broader cultural value to the nation". Bernard Richards from Brasenose College, Oxford, highlights the subject's emotional power, arguing that its beauty alone justifies its place in schools, while Dorset-based Christopher Pelly says Latin remains a practical gateway to history and reflects on how it has enriched his own life. The letters appear last.
Almost all teachers want social media restrictions for under-18s, poll finds
Social mediaAlmost all teachers (97 per cent) agree to some extent that there should be greater regulation of young people’s social media use, according to a Teacher Tapp poll commissioned by Tes. The survey also found that 69 per cent of more than 10,000 teachers surveyed this week strongly agree that ministers should introduce more regulation, up from 61 per cent in 2024 and 48 per cent in 2021. Calling for a "proper national conversation" on the pros and cons of social media, David Hatchett, CEO of Anthem Schools Trust, highlighted issues including cyberbullying and the potential links to anxiety as some of the reasons for a ban. By Cerys Turner.
The benefits of shrinking Reception class sizes
Primary education and early yearsTes visits Shackleton Primary in Bedford, which has more than doubled the number of children reaching a good level of development after reducing the size of its Reception classes from 30 to 20 pupils. Emma Stills, the school’s associate deputy headteacher for early years and transition, says the move has also led to teachers "identifying needs earlier" and has "really supported" children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). By Ellen Peirson-Hagger.
Why lying like a Traitor can actually help teens develop
General educationWriting in The Times, Cathy Walker, an educator, consultant, writer and coach, reflects on the hit show The Traitors, and explains why lying can be a normal part of a teenager's development. Encouraging parents to share their own experience of lying or navigating a moral dilemma in order to demonstrate how normal it is, she concludes: "The Traitors demonstrates brilliantly that strategic dishonesty is both a natural and useful tenet of adult life, so lean into it with your teen."