ISC Daily News Summary

Principal of the Cheltenham Ladies' College and President of the Girls' Schools Association (GSA), Vicky Tuck, discusses how technology has affected the way children learn in her online Daily Telegraph column.

Educating the digital natives (Daily Telegraph online only)

Words associated with Christianity, the monarchy and British history have been dropped from Oxford University Press's Junior Dictionary. Master of Wellington College, Dr Anthony Seldon, is quoted. 

Words associated with Christianity and British history taken out of children's dictionary (Daily Telegraph)
Is it a sin? Christian words deleted from Oxford dictionary (Daily Mail)

Feature in the Sunday Times on how increasing numbers of independent school parents are selling items on the website Schoolstrader.com. Head of Vinehall School, Julie Robinson, is quoted.

Public school parents are turning to the web to fend off the credit crunch (Sunday Times)

Widespread coverage of a government-commissioned report into the primary curriculum by former senior Ofsted inspector, Sir Jim Rose. The interim report, published today, recommends that primary school pupils in England should be taught how to lead happy and healthy lives as part of a curriculum overhaul, which would see traditional subjects such as history, geography and religious studies being removed from the curriculum. It also calls for more advanced technology lessons for some pupils. The study also recommends that children in England born in July or August should be able to start school part-time if their parents want them to.

Independent review of the primary curriculum (DCSF)
Scrap history lessons in primary, says study (Guardian)
Parents' anxieties ignored over age summer-born pupils start school (Observer)
Schools told reading is top priority (Independent)
Children to be taught to use internet at school (Daily Telegraph)
'Scrap Sats tests', Ed Balls to be told (Daily Telegraph)
Traditional subjects go in schools shake-up (Times)
Primary school children 'should be taught technology, not tradition' (Times)
Youngsters are already thinking out of the box (Times)
Children may start school at four in education shake-up (Independent)
Children to go to school at just 4 (Sunday Times)
Children with summer birthdays will start school part-time (Sunday Telegraph)
Schools told to put computer skills on same footing as 3Rs (Daily Mail)
Part-time school urged for children with summer birthdays to prevent them from doing worse in tests (Daily Mail)
Pupils born in summer 'must start school at four' (Sunday Express)
Part-time school for summer kids (Sunday Mirror not online)
Lessons in being happy proposed (BBC News Online)
Part-time school starts supported (BBC News Online)

A study by the Chartered Institute of Educational Assessors (CIEA) - the professional body representing senior examiners, moderators and markers - warns that tests and exams in school fail to reflect students' talents because candidates are put under so much 'undue stress' in the exam hall. The report calls for the greater use of teacher assessment as a relatively stress-free alternative to tests.

School tests 'failing to measure standards' (Daily Telegraph)
Most adults feel exams failed to gauge real ability (Observer)
School results are no predictor of future success, new research finds - just look at John Lennon, Winston Churchill or Sir Richard (Daily Mail)
Tests 'don't show skills' (Daily Mirror)

Schools Minister Jim Knight believes that the behaviour of middle-class children is deteriorating as the recession puts a strain on family life.

Credit crisis 'fuelling bad behaviour at school' (Daily Telegraph)

Feature in the Sunday Express on home education.

We'll teach our children at home (Sunday Express not online)

Further analysis of the tragic case of Baby P, with articles in the Sunday Telegraph and Mail on Sunday questioning whether ContactPoint will help to repair the child protection system. The head of Ofsted, Christine Gilbert, has admitted the organisation needs to take some responsibility over the death of Baby P in Haringey and vowed she is 'not washing her hands of it'.

Government to reform social services after Baby P case (Sunday Telegraph)
Victoria Climbie aftermath shows planned reforms do not always lead to action (Sunday Telegraph)
Children will remain at risk - until we're told what risk is (Sunday Telegraph)
Would an Ofsted inspector have seen through Baby P's mother? (Daily Telegraph)
We failed over Haringey - Ofsted head (Guardian)
'We have to take responsibility' (Guardian)
Review aims to boost social workers' status and quality (Guardian)
Ofsted claims part responsibility for Baby P's death (Times)
Has your child been CAFed?  How the Government plans to record intimate information on every child in Britain (Mail on Sunday)

Children's Secretary Ed Balls has ordered urgent action to tackle sexual bullying and harassment in the classroom, in response to increasing concerns about the exploitation of teenage girls.

Minister calls for school guidelines to tackle exploitation of young girls (Guardian)

Saturday's Daily Telegraph reported on language lessons for toddlers.

French is a game for tiny têtes (Daily Telegraph)

Up to 70,000 parents and school staff took to the streets of Dublin last week to protest against education cutbacks announced in the budget.

Teachers demonstrate against education cutbacks (Times)

In an online commentary for the journal Nature, leading scientists in the neuroscience field argue that taking 'smart drugs' such as Modafinil in exams should be seen as a benefit to society and legalised.

'Smart drugs' should legalised, scientists say (Daily Telegraph)

Answer the question: Chris Woodhead (Sunday Times)
The fairness and rewards of a university place (Times letters)
Faith schools are an integral part of the community (Times letters)
Children should attend local school (Independent letters not online)

The Teachers' Superannuation Working Party, which has ISC representation, is evaluating the two-tier ill health retirement arrangements in the Teachers' Pension Scheme that were brought in with effect from January 2007. As part of this review, the Working Party has produced a joint questionnaire, supported by the DCSF. The survey can be found online here and should take about 10 minutes to complete. ISC would encourage you to complete the survey and all replies will be treated as confidential. The closing date for responses is Wednesday 24 December.

A recent graduate with a master's degree in business administration who cannot find work has posted his resume in the yellow taxi he has been driving around New York to help pay his bills. He has yet to receive a job offer.

Graduate posts resume in taxi (Press Association)
Graduate driven to improvise (Daily Telegraph not online)