ISC Daily News Summary

Miranda Hart has told educators that having the chance to play at school, by experimenting and trying things out "for the fun of it" were the keys to her being able to thrive as a child. Speaking at a conference titled The Bright Side of Education at her old school, Downe House, the comedian, writer and actor warned against the negative impact a pure focus on productivity and achievement can have on a person’s wellbeing. The event also included a panel discussion considering key issues facing schools today. Alastair Land, headmaster of Harrow School, which has just announced a major partnership with Downe House, said that he did not think the social contract linking education, hard work and success in employment was broken, but it needed to be "reframed". On how the aspirations of families attending her school were changing, Emma McKendrick, head of Downe House since 1997, said she has seen parents becoming more conscious of their children's wellbeing and happiness. By Irena Barker, School Management Plus.

Ministers have announced that under-16s will be banned from several social media platforms from next spring, but for schools, questions remain about how this will work. Tes explores some of the key queries, including the extent to which schools will be expected to enforce the ban, and whether teachers and students will still be allowed to use YouTube for educational purposes. By Jasmine Norden.

The Department for Education’s (DfE) legal costs have nearly doubled over five years, Tes can reveal, with spending rising above £3 million in the year to April. Litigation spending by the DfE has also risen by 57 per cent since the last full year of the previous government. The DfE has been involved in several high-profile legal cases, including the appeal challenge against Labour's VAT on fees policy. Challenging the DfE to defend the costs, Munira Wilson, the Liberal Democrats’ spokesperson for education, children and families, told Tes: "Every pound the Department for Education wastes on lawyers is a pound taken directly away from our schools and vulnerable children." By Cerys Turner.

Bridget Phillipson has claimed the government's VAT on fees policy has not triggered an exodus of pupils into the state sector following the publication of new admissions data for England. The admissions data is the first since VAT was imposed on fees, and was taken from applications to state schools made in October last year for places in the school year starting next September. It shows a decline in overall applications for both primary and secondary school places this year, while nearly 85 per cent of families received their first choice of secondary school place, higher than in 2025 and 2024. The DfE’s 2026 school survey found that while the number of children in schools of all types fell by 1.2 per cent, the numbers at independent schools were down by 3.8 per cent, a fall of 22,000 compared with last year. The Guardian highlights figures from the ISC showing independent schools have lost 30,000 pupils since the introduction of VAT. By Richard Adams. LBC Opinion features an article written by Ms Phillipson, in which she claims "these are not the signs of a system under pressure, but of a system finally rebalancing to the needs of the vast majority of kids who go to state schools and getting stronger for the families who rely on it". 

During an evidence session of the Commons Education Select Committee, Conservative MP for Reigate and opposition assistant whip (Commons) Rebecca Paul cited data from the ISC (highlighted by CEO Julie Robinson) showing 105 independent schools have closed since VAT was introduced, and pupil numbers have fallen by 33,000. "Do you recognise the negative impact on those children and on the local communities where those schools are closing?", she asked, to which Bridget Phillipson said "these are decisions that individual schools will need to consider".  Ms Paul then highlighted the significant impact on children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), and asked if the education secretary anticipates an increase in class sizes in the state sector as a result. Ms Phillipson repeated the government's claim that the VAT on fees policy will raise revenue for the state sector. House of Commons.