ISC Daily News Summary

Following yesterday's news that the University of Cambridge has become the first university to revise its standard offer level in from AAA to A*AA, the Daily Telegraph today reports that a 'rift' over the use of the A* grade is developing among universities. According to a Daily Telegraph survey, Oxford, Warwick and the London School of Economics are among 13 universities which indicated that they would not favour students applying after being awarded an A* in exams until at least 2011. Secretary of HMC, Geoff Lucas, discusses the A* issue in this week's Times Higher Education (THE). High Mistress of St Paul's Girls' School, Clarissa Farr, also puts her view across in a letter in today's Times.

Universities split over new A* grades (Daily Telegraph)
More stars, less smoke, fewer mirrors (Times Higher Education)
Tougher admissions policies needed (Times letters)
A tentative step towards equality (Guardian)

A Good Schools Guide analysis of Key Stage 2 and GCSE scores of more than 700,000 girls suggests that those in all-female state schools make better progress than those who attend mixed secondaries. President of the Girls' Schools Association (GSA), Jill Berry, is quoted in the Times. Reference is made to GSA and the Girls' Day School Trust (GDST) in the Daily Telegraph.

Girls get better results at single-sex state schools (Times)
Girls 'do better in single-sex schools' (Daily Telegraph)
Girls do better without boys, study finds (Guardian)
Girls do better without boys at school - what a surprise (Guardian)

Saturday's Daily Telegraph supplement on independent schools (not online) referred to a large number of ISC schools and Heads. Also quoted in the supplement were ISC Chief Executive, David Lyscom, National Director of the Boarding Schools' Association (BSA), Hilary Moriarty, BSA Chairman, Melvyn Roffe, and General Secretary of the Independent Schools' Bursars Association (ISBA), Jonathan Cook.

Further coverage and analysis of a tuition fees report published yesterday by Universities UK (UUK).

Plea for rise in tuition fees condemned (Independent)
So how will we fund our universities? (Independent)
Students 'graduating from university with poorly paid jobs' (Daily Telegraph)
Set our universities free - or watch them decline (Daily Telegraph)
Earning tuition fees (Daily Telegraph letters)
Now is not the time to raise tuition fees (Guardian)
University challenge (Financial Times)
Less than £3,000 a year... a university graduate's paltry pay premium (Daily Mail)
English fee hike would hit Scottish universities (Scotsman)
Uni 'adds on marks' (Sun)
Lammy: No double fee whammy (Daily Mirror)

Government figures show that one primary school child in seven does not speak English as his or her first language.

English not first language for one in seven primary pupils (Daily Telegraph)
Pupils' language test (Times not online)
English is a second language for one in seven school pupils (Daily Mail)
Migrant kids in UK schools soar 25% (Sun)
First lesson (Sun)
Schools crisis (Daily Star not online)

A survey conducted by the Daily Mirror suggests that more than 22,000 of Britain's 25,000 schools could be contaminated with asbestos.

Asbestos in 90% of our schools (Daily Mirror)

A school in Bedfordshire has cancelled its extravagant end-of-school prom because staff decided it was 'getting out of proportion'.

High School Musical style prom cancelled to curb 'show off' parents (Daily Telegraph)
Last night of the prom after school cancels 'bling-fest' for 13-year-olds (Daily Mail)
School axes Oscar-style prom party (Daily Mirror)