ISC Daily News Summary

Independent, Daily Mail, Daily Telegraph

Nearly one in 10 British households is now classed as being well off, according to insurance firm Hiscox. However, the Independent and Daily Mail report that 90% of wealthy families still do not feel wealthy, saying that they would need to earn upwards of £150,000 a year, own more than one property and send their children to an independent school before they felt rich. A feature in the Daily Telegraph focuses on the 'Coping Classes' and how they are making financial sacrifices in order to secure a good education for their children. Provost of Eton College, Sir Eric Anderson, is referred to along with Millfield School, Sedbergh School and King Edward's School.

Even the wealthy feel poor (Independent)
Wealthy whingers: The £90,000-a-year families who still don't feel rich (Daily Mail)
Paying for their good intentions (Daily Telegraph)
The Coping Classes - Part 1: Why do we all feel so damn poor? (Daily Telegraph)

Times

As part of its ongoing US election coverage, an article in today's Times features former Sevenoaks School pupil Edmund 'Teddy' Nicholson, who is spending his gap year campaigning for Illinois senator Barack Obama across America.

Why one young Briton is putting the accent on change for Obama (Times)

Independent letters

'Private education, representing 7% of the total school population, saves the Exchequer billions every year. The tax benefits to independent schools from charitable status are a tiny fraction of this saving; this is a balance of advantage which, as a taxpayer, I consider to be of substantial public benefit.'

State schools let able pupils down (Independent letters)

Daily Telegraph, Daily Express letters, BBC News Online

Further coverage of the warning from the National Association for Small Schools, which says that hundreds of small, rural schools are threatened with closure because of government targets and pressure to fill empty places.

One in 13 small schools has shut under Labour (Daily Telegraph)
Without a school, a village won't live long (Daily Telegraph)
Picking on village schools (Daily Telegraph letters)
School closures expose the sham of Labour's pledges (Daily Express letters not online)
Warning on rural school closures (BBC News Online)

Daily Telegraph

The Daily Telegraph reports that schools in the borough of Greenwich in London are offering gift incentives to pupils who improve their exam results in an attempt to improve the council's position in the local authority education league table.

Pupils get gifts to lift council in exam table (Daily Telegraph)

BBC News Online

An Ofsted report says that trainee teachers who will provide compulsory language lessons in primary schools are benefiting from a month's placement abroad.

Month abroad for trainee teachers (BBC News Online)

Herald, Daily Express, BBC News Online

Comment pieces following the news that the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) has authorised a number of private firms - including McDonald's - to award in-house qualifications.

We should look forward to McD training with relish (Herald)
Firms urged to follow Scotland in 'McJobs' qualification move (Herald)
The Big Mac degrees will count for nothing (Daily Express)
'Everything I needed to know I learned in McDonald's' (BBC News Online)

Scotsman, Herald

The Scotsman and Herald report on a proposed funding deal for Scottish universities and a free primary school book scheme.

Universities offered 'olive branch' (Scotsman)
Schools reel in new book on brown trout (Scotsman)
Universities warn the government over funding concordat (Herald)
Free book takes pupils into secret world of brown trout (Herald)

Daily Telegraph

The Daily Telegraph reports that, during a debate in Westminster Hall, ministers have firmly hinted that compulsory sex education lessons could soon be introduced in schools in an attempt to reduce the number of teenage pregnancies.

Compulsory sex education 'to cut teen pregnancies' (Daily Telegraph)

Daily Mail

Government guidance produced by gay rights group Stonewall recommends that primary school pupils should be familiarised with the idea of same-sex couples to help combat homophobic attitudes.

Better not say mum and dad! (Daily Mail)

The Energy Efficiency Partnership is currently conducting an online survey to identify good practice examples of schools which incorporate sustainable energy education in their teaching. If you would like to take part in the survey, visit the website before the 1st February.

The 27th Annual Conference of the Council of British International Schools (COBIS) will be taking place in London from the 10th to 12th May 2008. The theme will be 'Celebrating the Expansion of British International Education'. The conference is open to Heads, Governors, and Senior Managers from British Schools worldwide, including in the UK. For more information visit http://www.cobis.org.uk/ or email general.secretary@cobis.org.uk.

Daily Telegraph, Sun

Author JK Rowling has told of how moving on from the Harry Potter series was more painful than getting divorced.

JK Rowling: leaving Harry 'worse than divorce' (Daily Telegraph)
JK's painful Potter 'divorce' (Sun)