In a letter to The Times, Richard Russell, headmaster of Colfe’s School, warns that Labour's plans to tax school fees could have a detrimental effect on the party at the next election. Mr Russell adds: "Middle-class Labour voters who choose independent schools do so not only because they perceive standards of teaching to be higher but also because they buy into the schools’ commitment to society, which is most obviously manifest in bursaries and partnerships."

Department for Education (DfE) data suggests more schools than ever were unable to fully open in England's latest teachers' strike, after members of the National Education Union (NEU) took part in their fifth day of national walkouts on Tuesday. The NEU is considering three further days of industrial action in the summer. By Vanessa Clarke and Alice Evans BBC News.

More than 10 unions, including the NASUWT and NEU, have started legal action against a law allowing the use of supply staff during strike days. It comes after ministers revealed a change in the law last summer that would allow schools to use supply staff to maintain capacity during industrial action. Tes.

According to Tes, ministers have quietly extended their own deadline for putting 400 specialist mental health support teams into hundreds of schools across England. The teams were expected to be implemented by the end of last month, but the DfE has since said it is working to hit the 400 figure "in 2023". This comes as teachers report being overwhelmed by a pupil mental health crisis, made worse by the pandemic and long NHS waiting times.

The School of Sexuality Education has apologised for posting links to "regrettable" material about fetishes and sex toys on its website. The organisation, which provides sex education lessons in schools, is in a legal dispute with a mother from London, whose request for information on a sex education lesson taught to her 15-year-old daughter was denied. By Lucy Bannerman, The Times.

A study by academics at Durham and Cambridge universities has drawn links between British enslavers with the schools they founded or supported. The findings suggest some of Britain’s most 'elite' schools benefited from slavery through significant donations and endowments. By Richard Adams, The Guardian.

Eco-conscious pupils at North London Collegiate School will be able to sample dishes such as Chinese-style noodles with teriyaki grasshopper and Mexican rice topped with buffalo worms as part of a move towards more sustainable catering. The trial menu is set to last a few weeks, but could be rolled out permanently if it proves popular. By Catherine Lough, The Telegraph.

Sir Keir Starmer's party will begin consulting on new ways to fund university education within weeks, amid warnings from senior Labour figures that the leader's decision to drop a previous pledge to abolish higher education fees altogether could be a "disaster" for today's local elections. By Kiran Stacey and Pippa Crerar, The Guardian.

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