ISC Daily News Summary

Tomorrow is the final day for delegates to register for Marketing2008 on Wednesday 5th November, and there are now only a dozen places available. The conference is for Heads, Marketing Managers and Development Directors in independent schools and will take place at Hotel Russell in central London. The agenda includes sessions on demographic research, using the internet to market to children and their parents, influencing the whole school agenda, how to manage a rebrand and new ISC parental research. For more information, or to book your place online, please visit www.isc.co.uk/marketing2008.

Scotsman, Herald, BBC News Online

Six independent schools in Scotland have been given a clean bill of health by the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR) following the first full phase of the charities review. Four independent schools have been given more time to meet the requirements so they can retain their charitable status. A total of seven schools in Scotland have now passed the test: High School of Dundee, George Heriot's School, Gordonstoun School, St Mary's Music School, Glasgow Steiner School, Donaldsons College and Regius Christian School. The four schools that have been given more time are Hutchesons' Grammar School, Merchiston Castle School, St Leonards School and Lomond School.

Four private schools 'to lose charity status' (Scotsman)
Four fee schools face charity ban (Herald)
Losing charity status may be warning shot for private schools (Herald)
Charitable schools status threat (BBC News Online)

BBC Radio 4

Principal of The Cheltenham Ladies' College and President of the Girls' Schools Association (GSA), Vicky Tuck, was interviewed on BBC Radio 4's 'The Learning Curve' programme last night, ahead of next month's GSA conference.

The Learning Curve (BBC Radio 4)

Tatler magazine

The 2009 Tatler's Schools Guide has now been published, with reference to a large number of ISC schools. The Guide should be available online mid-December. The Cheltenham Ladies' College was recently presented with the magazine's 'Public School of the Year' award.

Tatler's Schools Guide 2009 (Tatler not online)

Times

In an interview with the Times, Director General of the Assessment and Qualifications Alliance (AQA), Mike Cresswell, has warned the government that standards in GCSEs and A-levels risk being dumbed down unless the new independent examinations watchdog, Ofqual, is given statutory powers to force exam boards to maintain them.

Exams faced being dumbed down unless watchdog can step in, says board chief (Times)

Guardian, Daily Telegraph, Financial Times

Cambridge University says it has received a record number of applications, after introducing a range of measures to attract more students from state schools. The university has reported a 12% increase in applications this year, with 15,000 students competing for 3,400 places. The Financial Times also reports that Cambridge's Clare College has borrowed money for the first time in its 700-year history in a 'sensational deal' devised to take advantage of the investment opportunities presented by the credit crunch.

Big rise in students applying to Cambridge (Guardian)
Cambridge University reports record number of applications (Daily Telegraph)
Wider access for students pays off (Financial Times)
College to invest £15m loan in shares (Financial Times)

Guardian, Education Guardian

A report by the think tank Policy Exchange recommends that schools should receive substantial bonuses for pupils they recruit from the poorest homes.

School Funding and Social Justice: A Guide to the Pupil Premium (Policy Exchange report)
Pay schools extra to recruit from poorest homes, says think tank (Guardian)
Tory thinkers offer lesson in equality (Education Guardian)

BBC News Online, Daily Mail

A survey by Ofsted suggests that more children are worried about their bodies than being bullied, with 32% of the 150,000 10- to 15-year-olds surveyed saying that their body was something they worried about, compared to 27% for bullying.

Pupils 'worry about their bodies' (BBC News Online)
Girls as young as ten anxious about body image, disturbing survey shows (Daily Mail)

Times2, Daily Telegraph, Daily Express, Daily Mail

Feature in Times2 on the growing trend of wealthy parents encouraging their children to take an active interest in philanthropy. A new study commissioned by Persil for its 'Every Child Had The Right To Be a Child' campaign indicates that 'pushy parents' who rigorously schedule their children's activities are unwittingly undermining their children's self-confidence, independence and imagination.

Why wealthy children are giving their inheritance to charity (Times2)
Pushy parenting 'undermines children's self-confidence' (Daily Telegraph)
Pushy parents bad for children (Daily Express)
Parents 'over-timetable play for children' new research shows (Daily Mail)
The rise of parent cheats (Daily Mail not online)

Herald, Scotsman

Articles on schools dropping history and a critical dyslexia report.

Warning over teaching of history as schools drop subject (Herald)
Pupils with dyslexia should get better deal, say school inspectors (Scotsman)

BBC One

Last night's edition of 'Panorama' looked at the issue of privacy and data protection, including the child database ContactPoint.

You can run... but can you hide? (BBC News Online)
Panorama (BBC iPlayer)

Debt, universities and a graduate tax (Guardian letters)

Today's Education Guardian supplement includes articles on the US Presidency candidates and their education policies and government apprentices.

Daily Express

A state school in Bath is shooting down bad behaviour by sending pupils to train as Top Gun-style fighter pilots. The school is working with the local Air Training Corps to offer pilot training as a BTEC module.

A new discipline for pupils in the Top Gun school (Daily Express not online)