Data published by the National Education Union (NEU) on its website School Cuts has revealed the scale of the real terms spending cuts schools are facing next year. According to the findings, schools in the constituencies of education ministers will be £7.4 million poorer in real terms in the coming financial year, as schools consider making “desperate cuts”. By Donna Ferguson, Schools Week.

A snapshot survey by the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) has found that, of the 11,000 respondents, 66 per cent said they will have to make teaching assistants redundant or cut their hours as a result of budget pressures. By Branwen Jeffreys and Hazel Shearing, BBC News. The findings also suggest nearly one third of schools will need to reduce the number of pupils receiving tutoring support via the Government's flagship COVID education recovery scheme. By Callum Mason, Tes.

Schools Week reports that former prime minister Liz Truss’s proposal to lift the ban on new grammar schools is unlikely to come into effect after Gillian Keegan, the new education secretary, said her focus is on pupils in “comprehensive education”. Ms Keegan was asked about the policy on Nick Robinson’s Political Thinking podcast. By Freddie Whittaker.

Writing in The Times, former education secretary Kenneth Baker considers prime minister Rishi Sunak's recent pledge to prioritise investment in education. Lord Baker calls for money to be spent on transforming vocational and technical skills, "without which we cannot secure this country’s economic growth".

A report by The Global Boyhood Initiative has suggested that boys should be encouraged to talk about their feelings and speak up against gender inequality. The report, which has been published to mark the launch of the US initiative in the UK, brings together insights from 15 researchers in the fields of 'gender, masculinities and boyhood'. By Jamie Grierson, The Guardian.

Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, has announced that secondary school pupils in London are to receive “allyship training” as part of his campaign to challenge sexist and misogynistic attitudes and help prevent violence against women and girls (VAWG). The new education toolkit will aim to help pupils recognise and call out sexist and misogynistic behaviour. By Sally Weale, The Guardian.

A report by Ofsted has found that vulnerable primary school children are being left to “languish” in “unsuitable” alternative provision (AP) as a result of long waits for special school places and services. The number of pupils aged 11 or under in APs has risen by more than 25 per cent in the last five years. By Amy Walker, Schools Week.

Robert Dingwall, emeritus professor of sociology at Nottingham Trent University and a former member of several government advisory groups, writes in The Telegraph about pandemic isolation and the "ever-growing body of evidence on the negative impact of lockdowns and face coverings" on children. "Some children may never recover", he warns.

Dr Colin McGill, a lecturer in teacher education at Edinburgh Napier University, has called for teachers to have a day out of class to join the “national discussion” on education in Scotland. Dr McGill is one of several government advisers urging ministers to 'pay more heed' to the views of school staff. By Mark McLaughlin, The Times.

An extra bank holiday to mark the coronation of King Charles III in 2023 will clash with the first day of Key Stage 2 SATs tests. The Department for Education (DfE) is yet to confirm if schools will be expected to close and how this would impact the tests. By Amy Walker, Schools Week.

The Independent Schools Council (ISC) monitors the national and educational press in order to keep independent schools up-to-date with relevant education news. The DNS is a service primarily for schools in membership of ISC associations, although other interested parties can choose to sign-up. We endeavour to include relevant news and commentary and, wherever possible, notable public letters. Where capacity allows, we may include links to ISC blogs, press statements and information about school or association events. News stories are selected based on their relevance to the independent sector as a whole. Editorial control of the DNS remains solely with the ISC.

Sign-up to the email service is available on our website.

Members can contact the ISC if they know in advance of news, letters or opinions that are likely to feature in the media, or are aware of existing coverage which they would like to see featured in the DNS.

Headlines and first-line summaries are written by the ISC with the link directing to the source material. You should read and comply with the terms and conditions of the websites to which we link.