Dear colleague
Welcome to the February edition of our
Independent Sector newsletter.
This half-term has begun at pace, bringing with
it a number of significant developments for our sector. In this issue, we share
insights from recent meetings with sector leaders, including discussions at ASCL Council where the Schools White Paper (before it was
published) was a central focus. We also reflect on the deeply concerning and
continuing pattern of school closures, and what this means for leaders, staff
and communities.
Looking ahead, we are very much looking forward
to the ASCL Annual Conference
at the ACC Liverpool on 13-14 March. With an outstanding programme of keynote
speakers and a wide range of workshops relevant to leaders across all phases
and settings, it promises to be an energising and thought-provoking event. I
will be leading a session on Saturday 14 March at 12.25pm, exploring what the
next decade may hold for independent schools in the UK and how we can respond
strategically and confidently to the challenges ahead. I hope to see many of
you there.
As always, your insight and experience matter
greatly to us. Please do share your thoughts via the Tell Us inbox, and remember that our hotline is available whenever
you need advice, reassurance or simply a sounding board.
Thank you for your continued leadership,
resilience and commitment to your schools and communities.
Best
wishes,
Schools White Paper
Monday (23 February) saw the long-awaited publication of the Schools
White Paper in England, a weighty 107-page document, entitled Every Child Achieving and Thriving, with
accompanying consultations. While the SEND reforms seem sensible and necessary,
the sheer scale of change in the white paper as a whole, which covers a number
of other areas too, is a concern for a workforce that is already under a huge
amount of pressure. We’ve reflected that in our comment.
In terms of independent schools, the DfE has said that it intends to introduce national price
bands on fees for SEND placements to independent special schools. Commenting on
this in our press
release, ASCL General Secretary Pepe Di’Iasio
said:
“Establishing price bands to ensure that the cost of independent
specialist provision is reasonable and consistent seems sensible and logical.
But the government must ensure that prices are set at a level which is
sufficient to meet the needs of children who require significant support. The
devil, as ever, will be in the detail. What is certain is that it will not
serve anybody’s interests if independent specialist provision ends up being
unviable to run and children are left without the support they require.
“The use of independent specialist provision is driven by the complexity of
children’s needs and the shortage of places in state-funded special schools.
These pressures show no signs of abating in the foreseeable future and this
provision will therefore continue to play an important role in the national
system of SEND support.”
We welcome views on this matter from our independent school members –
you can write to us at tellus@ascl.org.uk
Independent Sector Forum
ASCL General Secretary Pepe Di’lasio, ASCL President Jo Rowley, ASCL Deputy
Director of Policy Tom Middlehurst and myself met with ISC CEO Julie Robinson
and her Deputy, Simon Nathan, and the CEOs of HMC, ISBA, GSA, SoH, ISA and IAPS
at the start of February, for our annual ASCL Independent Sector Forum. During
a constructive and highly useful meeting, Pepe and Tom shared their insights
into the latest national policy developments and Jo outlined some of the
highlights of her year to date as ASCL President. It was extremely informative
being able to listen to the sector CEOs articulate their hopes and concerns
about the Schools White Paper, along with their anxieties relating to the
recent guidance on the use mobile phones in schools. This is always an
extremely informative and constructive gathering, and an essential part of our
work in understanding the context in which leaders in the independent sector
are currently working.
ASCL Council
ASCL Council met on12-13 February at Loughborough
University, and the meeting had a strong focus on the Schools White Paper (before it was published). Main
Council heard from each member of the Presidential Trio, and the General
Secretary who delivered an inspiring call to arms to all school and college
leaders, expressing a hope that they will see the long list of items sitting in
their in tray as representing potential opportunities, rather than difficulties
to overcome. In addition, there was a highly constructive discussion on the
role which school collaboration could and should play in a future education
system.
Following on from a discussion at last term’s
Council, the Curriculum and Assessment Committee invited Dr Ian Stockford,
Executive Director of Standards at Ofqual, to outline how the National Reference
Test operates in practice and supports the grading process. He also responded
to questions from the committee relating to the accuracy of examination
marking, issues with reviews of marking and Ofqual’s role in monitoring board
decisions over grade boundaries.
I know that several of the independent sector
associations have previously discussed similar issues with Ofqual, and I hope
that hearing similar concerns raised by leaders across the state and
independent sectors will have reinforced the impression that most school
leaders believe there are serious issues with how public examinations are
marked and graded. We expect that there will be a follow up with Dr Stockford,
and he offered to attend future meetings as required.
At a highly engaging and constructive meeting
of the independent sector representatives, we covered a range of topics including
school partnerships, building on from the Council discussion about the content
of the white paper and its implications for independent schools, the draft
ASCL-independent sector engagement plan which I have developed using feedback
from members, responses to the survey of independent school leaders and
conversations with sector CEOs and the ASCL Council reps, and school closures,
and the impact which these are having on members and their communities
School closures
Sadly, the full or partial closure of established independent schools continues
to be a feature of the sector, with Rendcomb College announcing that it will
close at the end of this academic year, and several others announcing that
elements of their offer will no longer continue. Such closures have a
devastating impact on the children, staff and local community and I know that
leaders affected by them are doing all they can to support their pupils and
help them find places at new schools. I also know that these leaders greatly
appreciate offers of support from their colleagues in neighbouring schools.
On a practical level, when governors begin
raising questions about a school’s financial sustainability, it is important
for leaders to seek timely advice and support. The ASCL hotline can be an invaluable resource at an
early stage, offering clear, practical guidance to help leaders consider their
options and next steps. Just as importantly, it provides experienced,
confidential support during what can be a highly sensitive and challenging
period – both for the school and for leaders personally – helping them navigate
complex discussions with confidence and care.
Calls to our hotline from independent school
leaders who are concerned about potential closures or changes to working
conditions, are becoming more frequent. In response, our experienced colleagues
continue to provide sympathetic, confidential and constructive support to every
leader who gets in touch.
Members are reminded that the ASCL hotline is
there for you, offering timely advice, practical guidance and reassurance when
you need it most, and is a key benefit of your ASCL membership. You can get in
touch by calling us on 0116 299 1122 or by emailing hotline@ascl.org.uk
Keeping Children Safe in Education 2026
Just before half-term, the government published a draft version of
Keeping Children Safe in Education 2026, as reported in our briefing on 13
February. The headline change is advice in relation to children who are
questioning their gender and separate new sections on toilets, changing rooms
and showers, boarding and residential accommodation, and single-sex sports.
There are also a number of other revisions which are summarised in Annex D of
the draft guidance.
The DfE has launched a public consultation on the proposed revisions
which closes on 22 April. This is the link to the consultation.
It plans to publish the final version on 1 September. We’ve long called
for clear, pragmatic, and well-evidenced national guidance to support the work
of schools in navigating this complex and sensitive issue and we welcome the
publication of these proposals. More here.
Smartphone ban
The House of Lords has backed a legal ban on the use of smartphones by pupils
during the school day. The Conservative-led amendment to the Children’s
Wellbeing and Schools Bill passed with 178 votes to 140 votes and comes after
the upper chamber recently supported barring under-16s from social media.
Supporters of a ban argued government guidance on phones in schools did not go
far enough, despite being recently strengthened.
The changes made to the Children’s Wellbeing
and Schools Bill will be considered by MPs during the parliamentary process
known as “ping-pong” when legislation is batted between the Commons and Lords
until agreement is reached.
Industrial action changes
Significant changes to the rules around industrial action have now taken effect
under the Employment Rights Act 2025. For a mandate to take industrial action,
unions will continue to require a turnout of 50% of eligible members, but will
need only a simple majority in favour of action of those voting, rather than
existing rules which require 40% of all eligible members to vote in favour. The
mandate to take action will remain valid for 12 months rather than six months.
There are a number of other changes. Full details here.
