Chief executive of the Independent Schools Council (ISC) Julie Robinson was interviewed by Shelagh Fogarty on LBC yesterday afternoon. The discussion was prompted by comments by education secretary Gillian Keegan that Labour 'does not understand' independent schools. During the interview, Ms Robinson explained that imposing VAT on independent school fees would be a further tax on parents who pay fees. She said: "It's interesting that [Labour] would take independent school fees as a separate part of education provision and only put VAT on that. It's genuinely targeted at those parents who do, very often, sacrifice spending to pay their school fees so that would make it impossible for some parents to continue to afford their fees." Ms Robinson warned that the tax policy will not achieve Labour's aim of providing great educational opportunities for all pupils because children will be displaced into the state sector at a cost to the taxpayer.  

Listen to the discussion in full from 00:06:50. Ms Robinson speaks from 00:12:15 - 00:17:15.

During a debate in the House of Lords, Lord Black of Brentwood asked His Majesty's government "whether they have made any assessment of the contribution of independent schools to the education sector". Lord Black also highlighted the partnership work taking place at Brentwood School, where he is a governor.  In response, Baroness Barran said: "My Lords, independent schools are a small but incredibly important part of our school system. The independent sector is extremely diverse: it includes large, prestigious schools which are household names, but also many settings that serve dedicated faith communities and special schools that provide much-needed support to some of our most vulnerable pupils."

Referencing Labour's plans to impose VAT on independent school fees and the potential impact on children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), Baroness Eaton noted "it would have a massive knock-on impact on local government, specifically for local authorities that have children in care who are supported by local independent schools". On this point, Baroness Barran replied: "My understanding of the Opposition’s proposed policy is that children with an education, health and care plan (EHCP) would be exempt from the fees. However, my noble friend is right: there are almost 100,000 children in independent schools with special educational needs and without an education, health and care plan. This will push those parents into seeking an EHCP, with all the knock-on effects on local authority finances that we can see around the country."

The debate can be read in full at Hansard.

In an extensive article, The Telegraph explores some of the new, emerging strategies that have emerged to develop state school talent in sports, particularly in cricket and rugby. Cranleigh School is highlighted as an example of a school that has become a leading developer of sporting talent, aiming to bridge the gap between state and independent schools and broaden the talent pool at earlier ages. Cranleigh’s director of sport at Cranleigh School Andrew Houston talks about how the school shares its facilities with local schools and the community. By Tim Wigmore.

Present-day methods of assessing pupils in school mean they are unprepared for the demands of higher education, a new report has revealed. Commissioned by The King Alfred School Society and coalition of school leaders Rethinking Assessment, the research suggests universities are making more use of a variety of assessments, with schools failing to keep pace as they have to build too much of their curriculum and teaching around end-of-year, timed exams. Robert Lobatto, headteacher at The King Alfred School, which works with state and independent schools to develop more rounded approaches to assessment, said: “This review lays bare the worrying divide between the ways in which schools and universities assess their students." Independent School Management Plus. 

More than one in ten teachers believe grades need to be reformulated to take into account the assumed use of artificial intelligence (AI), according to a survey carried out by YouGov. Nearly two in three (63 per cent) of respondents said they think AI is “too unreliable and not well-equipped” to assess pupils' work or to assist in planning lessons. By Eleanor Busby, The Independent.

With more schools in the US moving to four-day weeks in an attempt to save money and boost recruitment and retention, Irena Barker considers how the model is working – and whether it could be adopted successfully in the UK. Tes.

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