Independent Schools Council

Independent Schools Council The Independent Schools Council (ISC) brings together seven independent school associations, collecti

The Independent Schools Council (ISC) provides research, legal, regulatory and press services to ISC schools and brings seven independent school associations together. These associations are the: Girls' Schools Association (GSA), Headmasters' & Headmistresses' Conference (HMC), Independent Association of Prep Schools (IAPS), Independent Schools Association (ISA), The Society of Heads, Association of Governing Bodies of Independent... Schools (AGBIS) and the Independent Schools' Bursars Association (ISBA). The ISC’s work is carried out by a small number of dedicated professionals working out of our offices in central London. We are assisted by the contributions from expert advisory groups in specialist areas. Our priorities are set by the board of directors led by our chairman, Barnaby Lenon. We are tasked by our members to protect and promote the independent education sector in everything we do. The ISC has six principal activities:

- Provide authoritative research and intelligence about the sector
- Provide legal and regulatory information/guidance
- Provide online access and support informing parental decisions
- Promote the sector through agreed national messaging and communications
- Provide a meeting place in central London for members
- Promote public affairs and parliamentary engagement on behalf of the sector

For more information please see www.isc.co.uk.

We’re thrilled to announce Frances Akinde as our first seminar speaker for the Independent Schools SEND Conference!Franc...
30/09/2026

We’re thrilled to announce Frances Akinde as our first seminar speaker for the Independent Schools SEND Conference!

Frances’ session will explore how assistive technology and AI can support SEND leaders, SENCOs and classroom practitioners, including:

- Reducing administrative workload
- Supporting EHCP reviews, reporting and documentation
- Improving accessibility and inclusion for pupils
- Exploring practical applications of Microsoft Copilot and other assistive technologies
- Considering implementation, governance and safe use within educational settings

Find out more about Frances’ session and book your place here 🔗
https://iaps.uk/cpd/ems-event-calendar/independent-schools-council-send-conference-in-association-with-iaps2026.html

And here we were thinking our painting by numbers effort was quite good...!Pupils of Luckley House School in Wokingham h...
25/09/2026

And here we were thinking our painting by numbers effort was quite good...!
Pupils of Luckley House School in Wokingham have set the bar very high indeed with outstanding achievements in this year's ISA Digital Art Competition 🎨+🖌️+💻=🖼️
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Talented artists from Luckley House School in Wokingham have been recognised for their outstanding achievements in this year's ISA Digital Art Competition.

Drawing inspiration from fantasy and manga, students created imaginative and original interpretations of the brief, 'Home', showcasing both creativity and technical skill.

Their use of digital media reflects its growing prominence across arts education.

The Royal College of Art, for example, has announced new postgraduate programmes spanning artificial intelligence (AI), animation and sound, reflecting the evolving relationship between technology and creative practice.

Luckley House's head of art, Emma Swift, said: "The artwork was produced using a range of digital drawing platforms, including Adobe Fresco, Clip Studio Paint and Procreate, which many students taught themselves to use, alongside industry-standard Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator learned in school.

“Impressively, all entries were created in the students' own time."

Students achieved excellent results in the Years 10-12 Digital Drawing and Vector Art category.
One Year 12 student secured first place, another Year 12 student received the Most Imaginative Artwork Award, and a Year 10 student was highly commended for competing successfully against older students at A-level.

Praising all the entrants, one of the competition's judges said: "So many ideas, so much creativity and experimentation, it was extremely hard to pick winners due to so many fantastic artworks submitted."

Entries for next year's competition open on Wednesday, January 6.

Partnerships play their part in what independent schools offer and one particular branch of that is music. That is somet...
23/09/2026

Partnerships play their part in what independent schools offer and one particular branch of that is music. That is something Lord Black is passionate about and he used it in his argument for a review into VAT on school fees during the Lords debate.

He said: "The case has frequently been made in this House about the tragic decline of music education in state schools.

"That has put a huge burden on the independent sector, both to protect the future of music and to do what it can to support those in state schools who are desperate to learn an instrument or take part in an orchestra or even just to sing, but who have no opportunity to do so.

"The role of independent schools in this area is vital. It is not something we have to do; it is something we absolutely want to do.

"In the last year alone, the Independent Schools Council has recorded more than 600 schools providing over 2,200 partnerships to support state schools with joint musical events, participation in music lessons, dance events, access to concert halls and many other areas.

"Schools like Brentwood provide an excellent example. This year, we are committed to an amazing project to offer all local state primary schools the opportunity for their pupils to participate in a mass concert performance of Rutter’s “Mass of the Children” at Brentwood Cathedral.

"One of the reasons we are doing it is that, tragically, even singing, so crucial for young lives, is dying out in primary schools and we want to help.

"That takes time and money, something which is now under real pressure as a result of the imposition of VAT and the impact on revenues.

"Elsewhere in the country we see other shining examples of partnerships to ensure children from state schools get access to arts education that their own schools cannot provide.

"That list goes on and on, yet the Government’s misguided policies have put all that at risk.

"As revenues come under pressure it becomes increasingly difficult to provide such partnerships, and bursary funding is increasingly in demand, particularly for quality music education.

"And who loses out? It is the children who lose out from this policy."

SEND provision was discussed in the House of Lords as part of the debate into VAT on independent school fees. Lord Shink...
22/09/2026

SEND provision was discussed in the House of Lords as part of the debate into VAT on independent school fees. Lord Shinkwin brought it up, reiterating what he had said in the 2024 debate, as he believes those questions are still valid today.

He said: "This counterintuitive policy demonstrates that deep within its soul lurks a self-righteous spite and envy that blinds it to the tragic consequences of its actions.

"Nowhere is this more apparent than in the case of pupils with SEND attending independent schools. They and their hard-pressed families deserve not just an answer but a rethink. I hope the Minister will show that the Government are listening."

22/09/2026

Yet more from the debate in the House of Lords last week on the subject of VAT on independent school fees. Baroness Cash had this to say at the end of her speech:

"I support the call from a number of Peers today, including the noble Lord, Lord Mohammed, for a review into this policy.

"To add one last thing, I can reassure my noble friend, Lord Black that we will, and have pledged to, repeal this policy."

Do Fairfield Prep have a future chess grandmaster on their hands? Brilliant stuff from Tara.There was joy for a young ch...
21/09/2026

Do Fairfield Prep have a future chess grandmaster on their hands? Brilliant stuff from Tara.

There was joy for a young chess player from Fairfield Prep School after she reached the finals of a major UK tournament for the second successive year.
Year 6 pupil Tara will be one of 16 finalists in the women's competition at the UK Open Blitz Championships in November, to be held in Leamington.
The 10-year-old excelled in her qualifying round in Nottingham, beating both an international master and a woman grandmaster, and her independent Loughborough school is naturally delighted for her.
Andrew Earnshaw, the head of Fairfield Prep, said: “To finish as the top girl in such a strong field and secure her place in the women’s final is a remarkable achievement.
“To do this for the second consecutive year makes it even more special.
“Tara’s success is a real testament to her talent, determination and hard work. She has shown tremendous composure and ambition throughout the tournament and we are incredibly proud of what she has achieved.”
The school added: “Not only are Tara's impressive results in chess an inspiration to her fellow players at school, but they also reflect her passion for the sport, exceptional logical thinking skills and mental resilience.”

More from the debate in the House of Lords last week on VAT on independent school fees. Lord Alton spoke out against it,...
21/09/2026

More from the debate in the House of Lords last week on VAT on independent school fees.
Lord Alton spoke out against it, with his full speech in the video included in the following tweet:
https://x.com/DavidAltonHL/status/2100571355313795100?s=20
In it, he said: "Taxing education is simply wrong in principle. It is a breach of human rights and in the EU, it would breach Article 132 of their VAT directive, which exempts education from tax.
"Our starting point should be encouraging diversity and parental choice is a good."
He added: "Lord Lexden was right to ask the House to consider all this again, and to reiterate the need to value all schools, state or independent, and I hope we will have a review of this policy that he rightly called for."
Lord Fuller was another to speak in the debate where he talked about the unseen damage done to the staff of schools forced to close, to the towns where these schools support the local economy and to the national economy itself.
His full speech can be found by clicking the link below:
https://youtu.be/hkkxIMjCKWc

Lord Lexden led a debate in the House of Lords last week on the impact of VAT on independent schools. He argued that the...
21/09/2026

Lord Lexden led a debate in the House of Lords last week on the impact of VAT on independent schools. He argued that the policy was an "imposition" and that "a review is essential", before ending by saying "surely every child and every school matters".
One of the attached quotes mentions an analysis by BiGGAR Economics that was commissioned by SCIS, the Scottish Council of Independent Schools.
Published in April it examined the impact of VAT on member schools of SCIS. It is expected that the VAT collected will be less than the fiscal impact arising from reduced pupil numbers, giving a net loss of £16m to the public finances.
And it went on to estimate that over time, these effects will be amplified as the number of pupils leaving the sector compounds, with the net loss to the public finances expected to rise to £181m by 2037-38.

Dr Beryl Gilroy was a pioneer in education, becoming London’s first black headteacher, and her legacy will live on throu...
18/09/2026

Dr Beryl Gilroy was a pioneer in education, becoming London’s first black headteacher, and her legacy will live on through a free event designed to support greater diversity within the teaching profession.

The Beryl Gilroy Forum will be held at North London Collegiate School on Saturday, October 3, and while it is open to all those considering teaching as a career, individuals from black and other ethnic minority backgrounds are especially welcome.

Speakers will include 2018 Global Teacher Prize winner Andria Zafirakou MBE as well as Dr Jasper Green of UCL Institute of Education. A panel discussion and hands-on sessions will cover everything from routes into teaching to acing an interview.

Darla Gilroy, daughter of Dr Gilroy, said: “It is a wonderful honour to see the Beryl Gilroy Forum carrying forward the legacy of a pioneering black educator.

“Beryl understood that education has the power to transform lives but also that those who teach must reflect the diversity, experiences and aspirations of the communities they serve."

For more information and to book a place, go to https://www.ticketsource.com/nlcs/the-beryl-gilroy-forum-why-teach/e-rpgkqd

We were delighted to be invited to the launch event for the National Parent Survey, hosted by Parentkind. The aim is to ...
17/09/2026

We were delighted to be invited to the launch event for the National Parent Survey, hosted by Parentkind.

The aim is to give parents and families a voice in the education of their children by shining a light on what matters most to them.

To read the National Parent Survey in full, click the link below.

It covers both state and independent schools, exploring topics such as school holidays, school trips, engagement, costs, enrichment and the biggest challenges facing parents.
https://nationalparentsurvey.parentkind.org/NIfd

Some results directly from independent school parents:
🟠73% feel involved in their child's education
🟡40% have made cutbacks elsewhere to afford costs associated with sending their child to school
🔵33% of independent schools offer appointments longer than 10 minutes at parents’ evening.

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