ISC Daily News Summary

ISC yesterday appointed a new Chief Executive, Chris Parry CBE, who will take up the post on Monday 28th April 2008. A press release with more details about Chris is available here.

Liz Fitzsimons has agreed to join the data protection and ContactPoint panel at the 2008 ISC Annual Conference on Tuesday 3rd June. ISC General Counsel, Matthew Burgess, says: "Liz Fitzsimons is a senior associate specialising in data protection law with Eversheds, one of the sector's leading law firms. Liz has helped a wide range of educational and public clients over many years with complex and sensitive data issues, some of them highly contentious. We are delighted she is able to join us at the Conference." To book your place online, please visit www.isc.co.uk/conference2008.

Independent Education

Comment piece in the Independent Education supplement on boarding schools, following figures published last week which revealed that the number of boarding school pupils has risen.

Why boarding needs to expand (Independent Education)

Independent Education

High Master of St Paul's School, Dr Martin Stephen, and Development Director of Bootham School, Jane Peake, are quoted in a feature on school open days.

What should you look for in a school? (Independent Education)

Country Life

This week's Country Life magazine includes the Spring 2008 edition of the Country Life guide to good schools, including references to many ISC schools.

School Life (Country Life)

Guardian, Daily Telegraph, Times, Daily Mail, BBC News Online

Managing Director of the Edexcel exam board, Jerry Jarvis, has raised concerns over the government's new diploma qualifications, with teachers not having adequate training, schools not knowing how new features should be taught and fears that the tests will be too demanding for pupils. Interviewed in the Guardian, Mr Jarvis says the system could be 'worthless' if the certificates fail to win the support of employers.

Exam chief: rival to A-level in disarray (Guardian)
Audio: Polly Curtis on fears that teachers are not ready for the new diploma (Guardian online only)
Exam chief says new diplomas may turn out to be worthless (Daily Telegraph not online)
Teachers are not ready for A-level replacement, warns Edexcel chief (Times)
40,000 students could be saddled with 'worthless' qualifications if problems with the new diploma aren't fixed (Daily Mail)
Flaws 'could sink diploma scheme' (BBC News Online)

Financial Times

Five more teaching unions asked for the teachers' 2008 pay award to be re-evaluated because of inflation. The unions - NASUWT, the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL), the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT), and Voice - have written to the School Teachers' Review Body asking it to seek permission from Children's Secretary Ed Balls to review the award of 2.45%.

Unions press on teacher pay deal (Financial Times)

Daily Mail, Daily Express, Sun, Daily Star, Daily Telegraph

Sheffield City Council is to introduce metal detector tests for weapons in all of its secondary schools by the end of the year. The Daily Telegraph reports on a report by teaching union NASUWT, which suggests that family breakdown and a lack of father figures could be to blame for pupils joining gangs.

Council to introduce metal detectors into every secondary school to fight knife crime (Daily Mail)
Schools to search for knives (Daily Express not online)
Schools get kid knife scanners (Sun)
Schools scan for blades (Daily Star)
Lack of father figures 'helps gangs recruit' (Daily Telegraph)

Evening Standard

Schools in Lewisham, south London, are on alert following an outbreak of measles among children.

Schools put on alert in new measles outbreak (Evening Standard)

Daily Telegraph, Independent, Daily Mail, BBC News Online

An employment tribunal has ruled that baldness is not a disability, after a former teacher at a state school in Scotland complained he was a victim of disability discrimination having been 'harassed' by his pupils and called 'baldy'.

‘Harassed' teacher learns the bald truth on baldness (Daily Telegraph)
Judge: baldness is not a disability (Independent)
Teacher loses claim over 'baldy' taunts (Daily Mail not online)
Bald teacher loses disabled claim (BBC News Online)

Independent

'Education debates in English-speaking countries always miss one crucial point: English spelling makes learning to read and write exceptionally difficult if a child does not receive sufficient help and encouragement from literate adults.'

English spelling hits children of the poor (Independent letters)

Today's Independent Education supplement also includes articles on vice-chancellors, Indian schoolchildren and women's studies.

Daily Telegraph

A village primary school in Cambridgeshire is to scrap its historic witch logo because of fears that it drives away pupils and teachers. The unusual badge marks the fact that the Cambridgeshire village was the last place in England to hang witches.

Village primary to banish 'frightening' witch logo (Daily Telegraph)