ISC Daily News Summary

Daily Telegraph, Guardian, Financial Times
Sir Roger Singleton issued his report into safeguarding provisions and procedures applying to independent schools, non-maintained special schools and boarding schools, "Keeping Our School Safe".  Sir Roger's principal recommendation is that the present regulatory framework needs rationalising, to reduce the regulatory burden on schools whilst eliminating overlap and inconsistency.  He found evidence of excellent practice but also scope for improvement.  His report has been welcomed by the Government, ISC and BSA.
Boarding schools ordered to toughen up internet rules (Daily Telegraph)
Private school child safety rules should be 'overhauled' (Guardian)
Concerns on safety at some private schools (Financial Times)

Daily Mail, Daily Telegraph
Middle-class parents were yesterday accused of 'playing the system' as figures showed that soaring numbers of pupils are being granted special help in GCSEs and A-levels. The number of candidates granted assistance - ranging from extra minutes to supervised 'rest breaks' - has doubled in three years, exams watchdog Ofqual revealed. English exam boards approved 179,611 such requests last year - up from 104,907 in 2005.
'Sir, my pet's died': How hard-luck stories are helping the middle class boost their exam marks (Daily Mail) 
Students using 'sob stories' for extra GCSE marks (Daily Telegraph)

Guardian, Daily Mail
Children will no longer have to study the Victorians or the second world war under proposals to overhaul the primary school curriculum, the Guardian has learned. However, the draft plans will require children to master Twitter and Wikipedia and give teachers far more freedom to decide what youngsters should be concentrating on in classes. The proposed curriculum, which would mark the biggest change to primary schooling in a decade, strips away hundreds of specifications about the scientific, geographical and historical knowledge pupils must accumulate before they are 11 to allow schools greater flexibility in what they teach.
Pupils to study Twitter and blogs in primary shake-up (Guardian)
Exit Winston Churchill, enter Twitter ... Yes, it's the new primary school curriculum (Daily Mail)

Daily Telegraph
Almost a quarter of 19-year-olds do not have the equivalent of five good GCSEs, according to figures. More than 150,000 failed to achieve the basic standard expected of 16-year-olds last summer. Thousands of young people hit the target by taking practical college qualifications such as apprenticeships and NVQs after failing at school. Figures also show half of 19-year-olds failed to gain the equivalent of two A-levels in 2008, the basic standard demanded by employers and universities. But the Government hailed the figures, saying pass marks have increased year on year.
Half of teenagers missing out on A-level equivalents (Daily Telegraph)

Scotsman
The SNP government has been accused of failing on another key manifesto commitment, after it emerged that the number of teachers in Scotland's classrooms has fallen by almost 1,000 in a year. Official figures revealed the total number of teachers in pre-school, primary, secondary and special schools and in visiting specialist posts was 53,584 - 975 fewer than in 2007. The statistics equate to the loss of 20 teachers every week.
Number of Scots teachers plunges by 1,000 (Scotsman)

All national newspapers
Girls as young as 11 will be able to request the morning after pill by TEXT message under a controversial scheme. Health officials want to make getting emergency help easier for schoolgirls who might be too embarrassed to ask for information on the morning after pill in person.  Six secondary schools will take part in the pilot scheme to cut teenage pregnancies. But if it is a success it could roll out across the country. Child protection staff will step in if any girl aged between 11 and 13 uses the service. 
Number of Scots teachers plunges by 1,000 (Scotsman)
Morning after pill by text for 11 year-olds (Mirror)
Girls of 11 text for morning after pill (Sun)
Text plan for morning after pill (BBC News Online)
Schoolgirls as young as 11 to ask for morning after pill by text (Daily Telegraph)

Times
The future of school meals is in jeopardy because only half of secondary schools are on course to comply with stringent government standards, catering leaders will say today. This could bring about the demise of hot meals in secondary schools, as caterers struggle to cope with the expensive and time-consuming restrictions. From September they will have to buy costly computer equipment to calculate the nutritional content of every meal. Each dish must meet 14 standards, including calorie content, fat, proteins and vitamins.
Regulations put hot school meals at risk (Times)

Independent
Letters - School leaving age shouldn't be raised (Independent)

Daily Telegraph
Letters - Male primary teachers (Daily Telegraph)

Daily Mail
Many parents despair of children who crave sweets and sugary drinks. But, if new research is correct, they would do well to curb their hostility at least a little. Youngsters who most love sugar also have the highest growth rate, according to scientists in the U.S. In the tests, more than 140 adolescents were given six drinks, of increasing sugariness, to taste and then rate on a scale of one to five. The results showed that the sweeter a child liked their drink, the faster they were growing.
Children love sugar faster growth rates (Daily Mail)