ISC Daily News Summary

More than 150 clinicians have written to education secretary Lucy Powell and health secretary Yvette Cooper warning of a children's health "crisis" linked to screen-based learning. The signatories, including GPs, paediatricians, ophthalmologists, audiologists and speech and language therapists, describe the absence of any child-focused health scrutiny of "EdTech" as "a serious safeguarding concern" for both ministerial departments. They warn that pupils with SEND are often disproportionately steered towards screen-based learning despite needing close adult supervision. The article references Winchester College's recent return to pen and paper learning, and quotes the school's headmaster, Elizabeth Stone, who said there was "no point" tackling the issue of mobile phones and then giving pupils a laptop. By Jordan Reynolds, The Independent. 

Winchester College has returned to traditional teaching methods amid concerns over screens hindering learning. Since September 2025, teachers at the school have been asking pupils to use their laptops only where there is evidence it will be "substantially" beneficial to that lesson, with screens being used very sparingly in favour of printed worksheets and textbooks. In an interview with The Sunday Times, Elizabeth Stone, the school's headmaster, said the use of laptops in lessons was "distracting", and concerns about technology overuse are among the issues most frequently raised by parents. On the merits of screen-free learning, she told colleagues: "If it can be done in another way without the technology, you should." A live poll asks readers to vote on whether technology should be restricted in classrooms. By Louise Eccles. 

The Sunday Times reports that growing numbers of former independent school sites are being sold following a rise in closures driven by financial pressures including the VAT on fees policy. The paper says specialist providers are among the biggest buyers of closed schools, reflecting rising demand for special educational needs provision. A number of schools in membership of the ISC's constituent associations are mentioned. By David Byers. 

The rapid growth in demand for special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) support at schools in England could lead to potentially "catastrophic" debts, which could reach a record £10 billion over the next 18 months, councils have warned. Although ministers recently cleared more than £5 billion in historic council SEND debts, an increase in requests has led to authorities predicting they will have re-built that debt figure by April, and doubled it by 2028. The latest acceleration in applications for education, health and care plans (EHCPs) is thought partly to reflect a rush by parents and schools to secure support before Labour's changes to SEND provision take effect. By Patrick Butler and Richard Adams, The Guardian. 

The first years of secondary school are becoming a "dumping ground" for GCSE preparation as pupils as young as 11 are set on a production line to the examinations, according to research conducted by PF Global (PF), formerly Public First. Although GCSE courses are officially introduced in Year 10, at the age of 14, more than half of teachers who responded to the research said the qualifications are also dominating Key Stage 3. The report also found that pupils with SEND consistently reported poorer experiences across this stage. By Nicola Woolcock, The Times. 

A recent investigation by The Guardian uncovered the scale of child-on-child sexual abuse in schools, with at least 1,700 sexual offences against under-13s, including multiple rapes, reported to police every year. The paper explores how boarding schools are affected by the issue, and talks to Robin Fletcher, chief executive of the Boarding Schools' Association (BSA), who explains that safeguarding young people is the sector's top priority. "Over the past decade, BSA has worked to strengthen schools' ability to recognise and respond to abuse through specialist training, conferences and safeguarding guidance. That work addresses child-on-child abuse as well as abuse by adults, helping staff identify concerns and respond appropriately rather than waiting for a child to make a disclosure," he says, adding: "Any safeguarding incident reinforces the need for strong processes, training, support and a culture where abuse and abusers have no place in any school." By Sally Weale.