The rising cost of childcare is forcing women to sacrifice their careers to raise children, Marina Gardiner Legge has said. Head of Oxford High School GDST and president of the Girls' Schools Association Mrs Gardiner Legge will highlight childcare costs as a barrier facing young women when she addresses delegates at the GSA's annual conference today. Calling for action, she will say: “We do not need more people happy with the status quo – we need the power of the activist – the modern suffragette.” By Louisa Clarence-Smith, The Telegraph. 

Eleanor Busby has also covered the story in The Independent. 

Parents of children who believe they are transgender have written to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) urging a review of its guidance on gender identity. The parents, who have formed the Bayswater Support Group, say they fear the guidance could lead to “spurious” charges of domestic abuse. By Steve Bird, The Telegraph. 

A proposal by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) to collect data on the sexual orientation and gender identity of school pupils is a threat to safeguarding which could lead to the “sexual exploitation” of children, gender-critical campaigners have warned. By Will Hazell, The Telegraph. 

A YouGov survey commissioned by Policy Exchange has found a fifth of teachers are censoring their lessons to avoid potentially causing offence over issues surrounding race, gender and sexuality. The think tank said the findings show that a “de facto blasphemy code” has been introduced in classrooms. By Mario Ledwith, The Times.

In her last interview before standing down as chief inspector of Ofsted next month, Amanda Spielman told The Times schools have been left “tying themselves in knots" over the lack of government guidance on trans issues. Ms Spielman said: "Schools have been waiting and waiting. It really is urgent." By Nicola Woolcock.

The Sunday Times reports that increasing financial pressures are leading to the closure of some independent schools and, in certain cases, the premises are being sold as luxury homes. Reference is made to the Labour Party's plans to impose VAT on school fees and several schools in membership of the Independent Schools Council's (ISC) constituent associations are mentioned. By Arabella Youens.

Tes outlines what schools can expect from the government's Autumn Statement, with RAAC and building maintenance among the areas prioritised for funding. By Jasmine Norden. 

Children across the UK left school to join marches calling for a ceasefire in Gaza after a campaign group advised parents they would not be punished for taking part. Organised by campaign group Stop the War Coalition, the countrywide “school strikes” aim to run every Friday until a ceasefire is agreed. By Charlie Parker and Nicola Woolcock, The Times. 

More than half of young people in the UK have used an artificial intelligence (AI) platform such as ChatGPT in the last year to help them with schoolwork, emails or to apply for a job, according to Nominet's latest annual Digital Youth Index. The survey, which looks at the online habits and attitudes of young people, has also found that while some 94 per cent feel safe online, 76 per cent said they had been exposed to an upsetting experience, a seven per cent rise on last year. By Martyn Landi, The Independent. 

Lord Knight of Weymouth, a former schools minister who is chairing the Beyond Ofsted inquiry, has said it is “time for a radical overhaul” of the watchdog. Lord Knight's inquiry has also recommended that schools should be responsible for their own improvement plans. By Emma Yeomans and Nicola Woolcock, The Times. 

Councils in England are warning of service cuts and potential insolvency amid the soaring cost of school transport for children with special educational needs (SEND). Officials have blamed the sharply rising costs on an acute shortage of SEND school places and lack of competition for specialist transport contracts. By Richard Adams, The Guardian. 

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