Daily summary of the latest news and opinions from the world of independent education brought to you by Education Advisers...  

More than 40 university bosses have written to the education secretary calling for so-called essay mill companies to be banned.

Some students pay for bespoke, original assignments - which cannot easily be detected by anti-plagiarism software.

But the letter says these essay-writing services should be targeted rather than those who pay for their services. Such services undermine the integrity of higher education and are unfair to honest, diligent students, they say.

Universities minister Sam Gyimah said the government was working to "bear down" on the problem - and added that "legislative options are not off the table".

The letter has been signed by 46 vice-chancellors and heads of higher education bodies, some of whom represent the UK's largest and most prestigious universities.

Students caught submitting work that is not their own face serious penalties, which can include being thrown off their university course.

However, in the UK it is not illegal to offer a commercial essay-writing service and many advertise widely near university campuses and on social media.

Read more at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-45640236

Independent School Parent reveal the schools that have been shortlisted in its inaugural awards programme, Independent Schools of the Year 2018

The aim of Independent Schools of the Year 2018 was to highlight the quality of the student experience in independent schools, and on the evidence of all the submissions received, there is no doubt whatsoever that the independent schools sector in Britain is thriving. Transformative and innovative projects and programmes are underway from Scotland to Cornwall, and the judges have so enjoyed reading the schools’ stories.

The judges will be meeting again later in the autumn to reach a decision on the winners and select highly commended schools from each category; the results of which will be published in December before the end of the school term.

A complete list of shortlisted schools can be seen at: http://www.independentschoolparent.com/education-news/isoty-2018-shortlist-announced/