ISC Daily News Summary

TES
A letter from Matthew Burgess, ISC's Deputy Chief Executive, has been published in the TES, correcting some inaccuracies in a previous TES article on charitable status.
Charity disparity (TES not online)

 

TES
Dr Paul Chapman, director of studies at Yarm School, has condemned the system for appealing exam grades after pupils had to wait more than a year for their marks to be improved. Dr Chapman, and the school's head of classics, Andrew Killick, are quoted, and both are pictured along with a group of pupils.
School waits year for GCSE appeals (TES not online)

TES
The TES reports that Will Glover, head of economics at St George's College in Weybridge, Surrey, is leaving for the US tomorrow to continue working as a consultant for Barack Obama's presidential campaign. Mr Glover developed his interest in American politics while studying at the Chautauqua Institution in New York in the 1990s. Mr Glover is quoted and pictured with some of his pupils.
Half-term on the Obama trail (TES not online)

All national newspapers
Reactions to the announcement by the government that children as young as five will receive compulsory lessons in sex education and the dangers of drink and drugs. The curriculum shake-up is intended to tackle Britain's high teenage pregnancy rate and steer youngsters away from drug and alcohol abuse. Children aged five and upwards will be taught to correctly name body parts and facts about animal reproduction. Two years later, they will learn about puberty and the facts of life. From the age of 11, they will receive detailed information about contraception, sexually transmitted infections and abortion. Yesterday's announcement follows reviews into sex and drugs education in schools. The changes will be implemented from September 2010, but campaigners for traditional family values condemned the plan, accusing ministers of subjecting pupils to controversial issues before they are ready.
Sex lessons for fives are a waste of time (Daily Telegraph)
Sex education lessons will start at the age of seven in new Government curriculum (Daily Mail)
Anger at sex lessons for five-year-olds (Independent)
The Big Question: How do schools teach children about sex, and does it need to change? (Independent)
Are better sex lessons the key? (BBC News Online)
Letter: Sex education failure (Daily Telegraph)

Daily Telegraph
Sir Jim Rose, the former director of inspections at the schools watchdog Ofsted, says that the provision of specialist teachers at primary schools could help  pupils, especially the older ones, to achieve their full potential. He told the Children, Schools and Families Select Commitee this week that more specialist teachers were needed. He said: "You only have to look at what children are capable of in music, where you often have a specialist teacher, or in PE if you have a specialist teacher - that is, someone who really knows their subject well. That is confirmed time and again by Ofsted." Sir Jim has been asked by Schools Secretary Ed Balls to carry out a review of the curriculum, and his interim report is due in a fortnight's time.
Primary schools 'should have specialist teachers' (Daily Telegraph)

Guardian, Daily Telegraph
A decision to send a group of London headteachers on a £60,000 trip to Arizona has been condemned as a waste of public money and "crashingly insensitive" given the financial crisis. The 20 heads, from the London borough of Hackney, went to Tucson last week for the two-day conference - on how to educate children from poor backgrounds - at a cost of £3,000 each, paid for by their schools and the Learning Trust, the agency responsible for education services in the area.
Heads' trip to Arizona criticised (Guardian)
20 headmasters sent to US on fact-finding trip paid for by taxpayer (Daily Telegraph)

Evening Standard
The Evening Standard has reported that Waltham Forest Council in London is proposing planning guidelines which will mean that fast food outlets will not be able to open within 400 metres of schools and parks.
Fast food shops to be banned near schools (Evening Standard not online)

Daily Mail, Times, Independent, Daily Telegraph
More than 100 civil servants who work for the agency that oversaw this year's Sats national curriculum tests fiasco have been awarded performance bonuses of up to £3,905. All but one of the 105 staff at the National Assessment Agency (NAB), which appointed the private company ETC Europe to administer and mark the papers, will collect their bonuses next month. The lump sums are paid for work during the year 2007/08, before this summer's Sats fiasco - but it was being pointed out last night that the work during that year laid the groundwork for this year's tests.
Civil servants who oversaw SATs marking fiasco to get performance-related bonuses (Daily Mail)
Bonuses for National Assessment Agency staff in marking fiasco (Times)
Staff at SATs fiasco firm to get £4,000 bonuses (Independent)
Sats exam blunder officials receive bonus payments (Daily Telegraph)

Daily Telegraph
A new study conducted by University of Nottingham researchers suggests that happiness depends upon the number of old friends one has. The researchers have found that people with at least 10 good pals are likely to be happier than those with fewer than five.
Ten friends are key to happiness (Daily Telegraph not online)