ISC Daily News Summary

The Charity Commission has today published its final supplementary public benefit guidance. ISC released a brief media statement yesterday, which is referred to in most of today's newspaper coverage. ISC is studying the supplementary guidance and will be providing advice to schools in the New Year. Headmaster of Harrow School, Barnaby Lenon, is quoted in the Financial Times, which also includes a feature on how some parents may be struggling to pay fees in the current economic climate. Headmaster of St Albans School, Andrew Grant, is quoted in the Evening Standard.

New Public Benefit guidance (Charity Commission)
Charity Commission's final supplementary guidance (ISC press statement)
Private schools urged to help less well-off (Financial Times)
Struggling with fees as bell tolls over jobs (Financial Times)
Private schools told: open to poor or face closure (Daily Telegraph)
Middle classes 'priced out of private schools' to fund places for poor pupils  (Daily Mail)
Private school fees could rise to help poorer pupils (Evening Standard)

TES

Last week's TES reported that Wellington College is to offer the level 3 diploma in engineering from September 2009. Master of the school, Dr Anthony Seldon, and Assistant Director of Studies, Matthew Ford, discuss this decision in a TES comment piece.

Diplomas aren't for dunces as long as they have an academic element (TES)

The inquiry into this year's school Sats tests by former chief inspector of schools, Lord Sutherland, has led to the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) abolishing the National Assessment Agency (NAA), its division responsible for delivering National Curriculum tests. David Gee, the NAA's Managing Director, has been suspended with immediate effect, and the QCA has also suspended its Chief Executive, Ken Boston, after refusing to accept his resignation.

National Curriculum tests inquiry final report (DCSF)
'Complacent' watchdog failed to spot exam chaos (Independent)
Sats fiasco: culture of complacency at QCA to blame (Daily Telegraph)
Education test chiefs suspended for fiasco (Financial Times)
Exams watchdog shares blame for marking fiasco (Times)
School Gate blog: does anybody come out of the SATS fiasco well? (Times online)
Movers and shakers who promised modernisation (Guardian)
The Sats questions Ed Balls must still answer (Guardian)
Exam chiefs suspended and SATs agency scrapped in wake of school tests fiasco (Daily Mail)
Exams agency abolished after fiasco (Daily Express)
Sats test bunglers get chop (Sun)
Teachers warned of Sats problems (BBC News Online)
Watchdog 'failed' says Sats probe (BBC News Online)

Ministers are launching plans to improve services for children with speech and language difficulties, following the Bercow Review, which was published in July this year. Pilot initiatives will be set up in 20 English areas, a research scheme will examine speech needs and grants will be given to the communication sector.

Boost for speech and language (BBC News Online)

The annual Health Survey for England, published by the NHS Information Centre, indicates that children have a better grasp than their parents of key messages affecting their health.

Why children can teach their parents a lesson in healthy eating (Independent)

President-elect Barack Obama yesterday announced Arne Duncan as his education secretary. Obama's administration has been described as 'top-heavy' with colleagues from his home town of Chicago.

Obama's education secretary is Chicago schools chief (Guardian)

ISC would like to reassure Daily News Summary readers that the service will continue during the Christmas holiday, with the exception of Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Day.

The sleepy German town of Hamelin has a rat problem - again. The first time, according to legend, was in the year 1376, when a man in strange attire playing a pipe was hired to lure the rodents away, only to do the same to the town's children when he was not paid for his services. This time the rat problem is not quite so bad, yet rat catchers are certainly in vogue again, and the profession has been described as a 'recession-proof'.

Children beware: the rats are back and Hamelin needs a new Piper (Times)