ISC Daily News Summary

Times, BBC News Online, Daily Mail, Independent, Financial Times
A £350m "rescue plan" to stop a decline in degree subjects including maths and science is succeeding, says the Higher Education Funding Council for England. It forecasts a 7% increase for maths in 2009, which will mean about 7,000 students entering university maths departments, against 5,300 in 2005. There are also expected increases of 3.5% for chemistry and 1.3% for physics in next year's university intake. University Secretary John Denham says the changes are "encouraging".
Science and maths revival at university boosted by £350m grant (Times)
Maths and science 'end decline' (BBC News Online)
Credit crunch 'encouraging a revival of science subjects at university' as students aim for higher paid jobs (Daily Mail)
Top-up fees 'generating interest in sciences' (Independent)
More students take science degrees (Financial Times not online)

Daily Telegraph, Daily Mail, Evening Standard
Cut price breaks during the school year remain among the main reasons for missing classes, DCSF figures show. Amid continuing fears over the economic downturn, more holidays were taken without teachers' permission last year. In some cases, families can save a third on the price of trips abroad by avoiding the traditional summer and Christmas breaks. It comes despite threats of fines and even jail for parents who condone truancy. According to official guidance, teachers should avoid authorising term time holidays to ensure minimum disruption to children's education. Guidelines issued to schools said cheap prices coupled with the fact that many parents booked before checking with heads were "not special reasons".
60,000 playing truant every day, despite Government campaign (Daily Telegraph)
Truancy soars to record level as 18,000 primary school pupils skip classes EACH day (Daily Mail)
10,200 school truants a day in the capital (Evening Standard)

Daily Mail
Parents who can afford to buy a computer but fail to do so are damaging their child's education, Schools Minister Jim Knight has warned. Mr Knight was speaking at the launch of a £300million initiative to offer free broadband to a million children of the poorest parents. But Sue Palmer, a leading literacy consultant, said that while older primary children and secondary pupils may well benefit from the initiative, younger children should not be targeted.
Computers are 'as vital as paper and pen'... minister urges parents who can afford PC to buy one for their children (Daily Mail)

Guardian
Key stage 3 Sats damaged children's motivation, and that's why we opposed them, says Mary Bousted
Response: Teachers don't mind being accountable, but this was over-regulation (Guardian)

Daily Mirror, Daily Telegraph
Young people whose mother and father split up are three times as likely to become aggressive or badly behaved, according to the comprehensive survey carried out by the Office for National Statistics. Living in a "reconstituted" family containing step-children or step-parents increased the risk of developing behavioural problems still further, it found. The stark findings of the study, commissioned by the Department for Health and the Scottish Government, fly in the face of the Government's repeated failure to extol the benefits on children of growing up in a traditional family home.
Kids who suffer after stress more likely to develop emotional problems (Daily Mirror)
Children in single-parent families more likely to suffer emotional problems, report finds (Daily Telegraph)

Times
The Times pays tribute to the life of Bob Drayson, former headmaster of Stowe School.
Bob Drayson: headmaster of Stowe School (Times)

Times
Simple activities such as gardening or mending a bicycle can protect mental health and help people to lead more fulfilled and productive lives, a panel of scientists has found. A "five-a-day" programme of social and personal activities can improve mental wellbeing, much as eating fruit and vegetables enhances physical health, according to Foresight, the government think-tank. Its Mental Capital and Wellbeing report, which was compiled by more than 400 scientists, proposes a campaign modelled on the nutrition initiative, to encourage behaviour that will make people feel better about themselves.
Do five simple things a day to stay sane, say scientists (Times)