ISC Daily News Summary

In a written question in the House of Lords, Lord Black of Brentwood, honorary president of the Boarding Schools' Association (BSA) and a Conservative peer, asked whether ministers plan to review the tax information and impact note entitled Private School Fees - VAT Measure, published on 15 November 2024, "given that pupil losses in the independent school sector have already exceeded the level forecast for the 2029/30 school year". Responding, Labour peer Lord Pitt-Watson reiterated ministers' claims that the VAT on fees policy "will raise £1.7 billion a year by 2029/30". The fall in independent school pupil numbers since the policy took effect is "in line with expectations", he said, adding that wider demographic changes, including falling birth rates, are also a factor. Hansard. 

The government should focus on removing structural and reputational barriers holding back existing vocational qualifications instead of overhauling them, interim findings from a major report by Cambridge OCR suggest. Due to be issued later this autumn, the report will reveal that teachers, students and parents valued existing vocational qualifications for 14-16-year-olds, but that issues such as low awareness, staff capacity and lack of resources are holding these qualifications back. Speaking to Schools Week, former education secretary Charles Clarke, who chaired the review, said existing vocational qualifications such as technical awards could be assisting more young people, without the need for "disrupting overhauls". By Esmé Kenney.

Tom Bennett, an Independent School Behaviour Advisor and founder of researchED, writes in The Telegraph about the controversial use of AV1 telepresence robots for pupils who are unable or unwilling to attend school. The robots are fitted with cameras and microphones, allowing the humans operating them to watch and participate in lessons from home. He argues that while the technology could help children experiencing serious medical needs or anxiety-based school avoidance with a gradual return to the classroom, it risks reinforcing school avoidance and should not become a substitute for attendance without stronger evidence of its effectiveness. "Whenever possible, kids need to be at school," Mr Bennett concludes. 

In an article for Tes, Dr Simon Hyde, CEO of HMC (The Heads' Conference), reflects on his recent visit to schools across Australia and New Zealand, where government funding and a strong culture of parental choice have created a very different independent sector. On the issue of tax, he contrasts the UK's decision to charge VAT on fees with the approach taken elsewhere. "That doesn't mean, of course, that schools in Australia aren't vulnerable to the constant search for increased tax revenue," he says, pointing to the payroll tax introduced for independent schools in Victoria two years ago. Concluding the piece, Dr Hyde urges the UK sector to be more vocal and says: "In the UK, the sector tends to be more apologetic and certainly more reticent – perhaps this could, and should, change?"