ISC Daily News Summary

Daily Telegraph
In a unique experiment five South African teenagers are studying at Stowe for a year. Daily Telegraph reporter Tim Ecott investigates. Headmaster, Dr Anthony Wallersteiner, is quoted, explaining it's a unique experiment to give South African children an English public school education for a year.
'Now I believe anything is possible' (Daily Telegraph)

Daily Telegraph
The former deputy prime minister has reignited the debate over class war by claiming the private sector acts as a barrier to social mobility in Britain. Mr Prescott - a regular critic of independent education - is also set to clash with the Patrick Derham, headmaster of Rugby School, in his forthcoming BBC series Prescott: The Class System And Me. In the programme, he claims to have never visited an independent school before. Patrick Derham, the Rugby head, who also came from a working class background, said Mr Prescott's views were "hopelessly outdated and had no bearing on reality". The Daily Telegraph reports that Rugby School is planning to raise £30m to increase the number of free places for pupils from the poorest homes.
John Prescott criticises independent schools (Daily Telegraph)

BBC
Lessons about personal, social and health matters including sex are to be compulsory in all England's schools for the first time. The government is setting up a review of how best to achieve this, saying there are "complicated issues". Schools Minister Jim Knight said this would factor in a school's ethos, pupils' needs and parents' values.
Lessons on sex to be compulsory (BBC News Online)
Children aged five to get sex education (Daily Telegraph)
Sex lessons for primary school kids (Daily Mirror)

Independent
This week's Independent Education Supplement includes an interview with ‘Dragons' Den' star Peter Jones; ‘an education in the life of Chris Patten' and a look at degrees in IT. There is also a separate supplement featuring independent schools abroad, in which the IB is profiled.
Independent Education Supplement

Daily Mail, Daily Telegraph
A survey of 500 academics highlighted serious concerns about "dumbing down" in higher education. More than three-quarters said plagiarism was a growing problem and the majority claimed a rise in top degrees was not evidence of improving standards. The findings come amid growing concerns over the expansion of higher education under Labour. Ministers want at least half of school-leavers to go to university, but critics fear it may lead to degrees losing their value.
'Universities are dumbing down': 77% of professors claim pressure to award higher marks has increased (Daily Mail)
University academics 'told to mark up poor work' (Daily Telegraph)

Daily Telegraph, Times
Disruptive children will be sent for Army cadet training or work on farms instead of being expelled. Pupils will be sent to a specialist centre where they will learn to control their behaviour, while keeping up with normal lessons to prepare them for a return to school. Schools Secretary Ed Balls will announce details of 12 trial schemes today. The £26.5million initiative aims to revamp the 'forgotten service' of 450 pupil referral units  -  so-called 'sin bins'  -  for the country's most unruly youngsters.
Unruly pupils will be sent to Army cadet boot camps instead of being expelled (Daily Mail)
Charity-run projects for problem pupils (Times not online)

Daily Mirror
The average parent tells their child almost 3,000 white lies, a survey said yesterday. The favourite, told by 84 per cent of mums and dads, is that Santa Claus gives presents only to good children. Second was that he only visits children who "go to sleep nicely". Next came the myth that sitting too close to the TV will make their eyes go square.
Every child 'told 3,000 white lies' by parents (Daily Mirror)