ISC Daily News Summary

President of the Girls' Schools Association (GSA) and Headmistress of Wakefield Girls' High School, Pat Langham, discussed the benefits of independent schools working with the state sector and vice-versa - in particular ISSPs - on BBC Radio 4's PM show yesterday evening. You can listen to the broadcast online by following the link below and skipping to the 31st minute of the show.

PM - listen again (BBC Radio 4)

BBC News Online, all national broadsheets, Daily Mail, Sun, Daily Mirror

Children's Secretary Ed Balls will today set out the government's 10-year Children's Plan, which will include a review of English primary school education. In addition to proposals reported on in yesterday's media, the blueprint is expected to contain a pledge for every secondary school pupil to have a personal mentor and proposals for parent-run school councils and a national panel of parents to advise ministers as part of efforts to improve the school and home experiences of children. The plan will also include proposals to offer summer-born children extra help, make millions of pounds available to refurbish playgrounds in an attempt to increase play opportunities for children, and recommend that police, health services, counsellors and childcare units should be permanently based in schools.

Plan for children being unveiled (BBC News Online)
Schools should target 'stayaway' parents (Daily Telegraph)
The Children's Plan: blueprint for a generation (Daily Telegraph)
We also need a plan for adults (Daily Telegraph)
Has Balls got what it takes to secure the keys to Number 10? (Daily Telegraph)
All school pupils to get a behaviour mentor (Guardian)
Balls's bold plan to end child poverty could revive Labour (Guardian)
Schools will have to make room for social workers and the police (Times)
Balls puts parent power at heart of schools blueprint (Independent)
Health services to be located in schools (Financial Times)
Pupils treated like employees in Balls' schools revolution (Daily Mail not online)
We failed over 3 Rs (Sun not online)
Teacher's txt: your child isn't in class (Daily Mirror)

The Scotsman reports on a study by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), which reveals that Scotland's schools are failing children from deprived backgrounds. As reported yesterday on BBC News Online, the study calls for a radical shake-up of Scottish education, including the testing of more pupils, the abolition of Standard Grades and the launch of a new broad-ranging leavers certificate.

Scots schools accused of letting down children from poor families (Scotsman)

The Education Guardian analyses the future of further education colleges following a speech by Gordon Brown.

The end of colleges as we know them? (Education Guardian)

BBC News Online, Daily Telegraph

The government is to review its funding for physics after scientists warned of an £80m research shortfall.

Ministers review physics funding (BBC News Online)
Physics professors criticise cuts in budget (Daily Telegraph)

A teacher who experienced racism in her Kent school and was advised by a colleague to work in a more 'ethnically diverse school' if she wanted promotion has won her case for unfair dismissal. A coroner has ruled that a primary school head teacher committed suicide on the eve of an Ofsted inspection.

Victory for teacher after race taunts and sexual harassment (Times)
Suicide head's Ofsted worries (Times)
Head teacher killed himself before inspection (Guardian)
Depressed head teacher killed himself because of impending Ofsted inspection (Daily Mail)
Ordeal of teacher called 'dark meat' by a colleague (Daily Mail)
Ofsted sir in suicide (Sun not online)
Check sir in suicide (Daily Mirror not online)
Ofsted-fear head killed himself (BBC News Online)
Sacked teacher 'racially abused' (BBC News Online)

The Guardian reports that 13 schools in Berlin have hired security guards following a sharp rise in school violence. Today's Education Guardian includes a feature on Reykjavik University. The Daily Telegraph reports that almost half of Italy's university students drop out before graduation, according to figures from the Italian government's National Committee for Evaluating the University System.

Berlin schools hire guards after attacks on pupils (Guardian)
Snow queens (Education Guardian)
Half of Italian students drop out (Daily Telegraph)

A retired teacher has spoken of how he became trapped for four days in the lavatory of his local bowling club in Aberdeen. He was rescued when the cleaner heard his cries for help and says the only thing he regrets is not getting trapped behind the bar!

Man spends four days trapped in bowling club's toilets (Guardian)
Bowler bogged down for four days (Times)
Man stranded for four days inside club's lavatory (Independent)
Man trapped in lavatory for four days (Daily Telegraph)
The man who popped to the loo (for four days) (Daily Mail not online)
Four days in a freezing loo (Sun)
Stuck in loo for 4 days (Daily Mirror)