ISC Daily News Summary

Daily Telegraph, Daily Mail
The Daily Telegraph and Daily Mail today report that Chris Woodhead, Ofsted's former chief inspector for schools, has claimed independent schools have raised their fees dramatically as they are spending so much on ‘five-star' facilities. Speaking at an education seminar in London yesterday, Mr Woodhead said "I am deeply shocked by the degree of waste within the independent sector."
Professor Chris Woodhead, former head of Ofsted: Private schools 'wasting fees on frippery' (Daily Telegraph)
Woodhead in attack on ‘five-star' school fees (Daily Mail not online)
 

TES
Comment piece in the TES by Sir Peter Newsam, former chief schools adjudicator, 1999-2002. Sir Peter considers the ‘important lessons to be learnt from the way Eton and Westminster are managed'.
Seven reasons why Old Etonians might run our schools jolly well (TES not online)

Daily Telegraph
Letters to the Daily Telegraph in response to Simon Heffer's article earlier this week. John Witheridge, headmaster of Charterhouse school, writes: "Simon Heffer's diatribe against the Conservative Party's lack of and lack-lustre educational policies is welcome and timely."
True Tory schools (Daily Telegraph not online)

Independent
Pupils will soon be able to study science at one of Britain's most prestigious universities without having to take A-levels. Newcastle University, a member of the Russell Group - which represents the top 20 higher education research institutions - will allow students to bypass A-levels in an attempt to increase the take-up of shortage subjects. The move could have far-reaching implications for the examination system in the UK, with other universities poised to follow suit.
University to offer science courses for students who bypass A-levels (Independent)

All national newspapers
Soaring numbers of parents are unhappy with the primary school allocated to their child, according to official figures published yesterday. More than 26,000 families decided to appeal after being refused the primary school of their choice - up 20 per cent on the previous year. The upturn reflects growing parental anxiety about securing a good school for young children. Attending a good primary can have a big impact on a child's chances of gaining admission to sought-after secondary schools.
Number of primary school appeals up by 20 per cent (Independent)
Parents face postcode lottery over school place appeals (Guardian not online)
Parents in ‘frenzy' to win race for primary schools (Daily Mail not online)
Rise in appeals over school places snubs (Daily Express not online)
Rise in school place appeals (Financial Times not online)
Parents' appeals rise over primary places (Times not online)

All national newspapers
Students taking their GCSEs were given a little help in their music exam - the answers were written on the back. A printing error meant that all the answers were given for the first part of the examination in schools in Herefordshire and Worcestershire.
Please turn over for the GCSE music answers (Guardian)
GCSE paper with answers on the back (Daily Mail not online)
Music exam where the answers were Haydn on the back (Daily Express not online)
Pupils find answers on back of GCSE exam (Sun not online)
Letters - Listen and learn? (Times)

TES
Today's TES leads with ‘inspections face global criticism', following the news that teachers who have criticised England's school inspections and league tables will be vindicated in a major international report that says the regime has a negative impact on pupils and staff. Another article reports that schools could be barred from being graded as ‘good' purely because of their raw exam grades, under plans unveiled by Ofsted. The TES magazine has an interesting article on the steps one South London school has taken to combat bullying. Kingsdale School in Dulwich has undergone an expensive makeover to transform itself and its pupils.
TES

Daily Telegraph
Political voting is turning the Eurovision song contest into a farce, says Sir Terry Wogan, as he accuses eastern European countries of joining forces to prevent a western nation from taking the title. The presenter, who has provided commentary on the contest for 37 years, claims that an "iron curtain has descended across Eurovision", throwing into doubt the UK's chances of winning. Britain's hope for this year's contest (53^rd) Eurovision Song Contest taking place tomorrow night in Belgrade, is X Factor finalist Andy Abraham. Good luck Andy!
Wogan fears 'Britain' will never win Eurovision again (Daily Telegraph not online)