ISC Daily News Summary

Blake Stephenson, the Shadow Parliamentary Under Secretary (Home Office) and Opposition Assistant Whip (Commons), submitted a written question in the House of Commons in which he asked whether the chancellor will make an assessment of the potential impact of introducing vouchers and tax rebates to parents who send their children to independent schools, at a value below the annual cost of educating a pupil in a state school, across a range of areas. These included state school funding, class sizes, pupil wellbeing and support for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). In response, Emma Reynolds, the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, said: "This government is committed to fair treatment for all pupils, whether they attend state or independent schools." Referencing the VAT on fees policy, she added: "The removal of VAT exemption for independent schools raises revenue to ensure high-quality education for every child." Hansard. 

In an article for The Times, an anonymous mother shares her sadness at being able to afford an independent education for only one of her two children amid rising costs, including VAT on fees. She says families like hers, "part of the so-called squeezed middle", will become "increasingly common", and admits: "The guilt of this decision is something we wrestle with daily."

Parents and teachers in Wales are being asked for their views on restricting the use of mobile phones in schools, with NASUWT Cymru, the country's largest teaching union, calling for a national ban. Launched yesterday, the consultation is gathering views on new national guidance to restrict phones throughout the school day. Wales has so far ruled out forcing schools to ban mobiles, unlike England, where national guidance was introduced earlier this year. NASUWT Cymru says its members in schools where phones are already banned have found it "transformational", with better learner engagement and behaviour. BBC News speaks to pupils at Mary Immaculate High School in Cardiff, which enforces a strict mobile phone ban where pupils must lock their devices in secure pouches for the entire school day. Nálani, 15, said she has seen a big difference during classes with fewer distractions, and it has also changed her habits outside lessons, making her "want to talk to people more". By Ben Price.

Teachers doubt the importance of pupils' full school attendance to the extent that they would take their own children on term-time holidays if they were able to, according to a report by youth charity Impetus and policy and polling research firm Public First. Frontline staff do not believe the school system is designed to deal with an ongoing attendance crisis in England and Wales, where nearly one in five children are now missing at least 10 per cent of school, according to the report based on detailed conversations with teachers. School leaders and staff also said gaps in mental health, special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and social work support were making their jobs harder. By Alexandra Topping, The Guardian. 

More than nine in 10 secondary schools have less spending power than in 2010, new analysis by the School Cuts campaign estimates. It suggests mainstream schools would need an extra £4.5 billion a year to bring per-pupil spending back to 2010 levels, with 92 per cent of secondary schools currently worse off than they were 16 years ago after accounting for cost increases. By Jabed Ahmed, Tes.

Writing in Tes, Alison Helm, headteacher at Ellacombe Church of England Academy in Devon, describes how measures including a thorough redesign of the school's nursery site and more staff training have had a significant effect on development outcomes. "It is clear that when nursery provision is designed with more purpose, this can exist comfortably alongside work to ensure they can start school with the best chance to succeed," she writes.