Parents at an independent school in Wales have been warned that fees may rise should Labour win the next general election. In an end-of-year email last December, Cheryl Giovannoni, the chief executive of the Girls' Day School Trust (GDST), expressed her concerns that if a 20 per cent VAT rate was to be introduced, “the majority of independent schools, including ours, would find it impossible to absorb the full impact of this considerable cost”. By Max Stephens, The Telegraph.

In an interview with iNews, Anthony Perry explains why he believes Labour's pledge to impose VAT on independent school fees will harm families who are not wealthy and the reasons behind his decision to start a Change.org petition against the proposals. On his reaction at hearing of the party's tax plans, Mr Perry tells the paper: "I was scared. I fear that we’re going to have to take our son out of his school; the school he loves, and where he has friends." Keen to meet with Labour officials to be able to share his views, Mr Perry concludes: "An overwhelming majority of parents at my son’s school feel the same. They are not wealthy." By Eleanor Peake. 

GP surgeries have reported an increase in demand for the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccination, after a “national incident” was declared last week. The NHS, which is reassuring parents about the safety and importance of the vaccine, has seen a 600 per cent increase in visits to its MMR webpage. By Eleanor Hayward, The Times. 

With measles cases rising, the Department for Education (DfE) has issued guidance to schools and nurseries on what to do if they have a confirmed or suspected case. Tes outlines the key information that schools need to know. By Cerys Turner.

The proportion of pupils who were persistently absent from school last term was more than one fifth, according to government figures published today. The data suggests that persistent absent rates are higher across secondary schools, with persistent absence in primary schools falling from 20.5 per cent to 16.1 per cent year on year, closer to the 11.2 per cent recorded in the same period pre-pandemic. By Matilda Martin, Tes. 

More than one in 100 children in England were taught at home last summer term, with many parents citing lifestyle or “philosophical reasons” for abandoning traditional schooling. New estimates by the DfE have shown that 97,000 children were home educated in the summer term of 2023, an increase of 11,000 compared with the 86,000 home educated at the beginning of the year. By Richard Adams, The Guardian.

Pupils at Harris Westminster Sixth Form have received more Oxbridge offers than a leading independent school, The Times reports. It is the highest number of Oxbridge offers achieved by the mixed selective sixth form, which was established in partnership with Westminster School. The article is accompanied by an item on the cost of going to university. By Nicola Woolcock. 

A study by the Food Foundation and The Bread and Butter Thing (TBBT) suggests that of the families without access to Free School Meals, 16 per cent had to send their child to school without lunch some days because they were unable to afford school meals or packed lunches. By Jabed Ahmed, The Independent. 

The skill and concentration needed to form the shapes of letters while writing with a pen or pencil ignites a far greater range and complexity of connections within the brain than simply tapping the correct keys on a keyboard, researchers at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) have found. By Kaya Burgess, The Times. 

Today's leading article in The Times considers the merits of handwriting. It states: "The physical act of fine motor control needed to form the letters with a pen requires, and therefore develops, more brain power than is needed to tap a key."

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