ISC Daily News Summary

Independent
Children taught by the worst teachers get at least a grade lower pass mark at GCSE than those taught by the best, research out today claims. A study to be presented to the Royal Economic Society's annual conference reveals a pupil taught by one of the weakest teachers would be worse off by more than one grade in that subject at GCSE. This finding is based on comparing teachers among the bottom 5 per cent in the country with those among the top 5 per cent.
Flunked your GCSEs? Now you can blame your teacher (Independent)

Independent
An increase in the number of faith schools is likely to lead to greater segregation of pupils, according to a study published today. The research, presented to the Royal Economic Society's annual conference, reveals areas with the largest number of faith schools have a much higher degree of segregation of pupils by ability groups. In particular, they tend to cream off the brightest pupils. However, the research by London University's Institute of Education shows there is no improvement in academic standards in those areas that have a larger number of faith schools.
Faith schools 'lead to greater segregation of children' (Independent)

Daily Telegraph
Schools will be allowed to close for Islamic holidays in order to improve attendance rates, under new plans. Many Muslim children are currently taken out of lessons to celebrate religious festivals such as Eid. In an attempt to lower levels of classroom absences, Manchester City Council is considering allowing schools attended by large numbers of non-Christians to close on these holy days.
Schools to close on Muslim holidays in order to cut absence rates (Daily Telegraph)

Guardian
This week's Guardian Education Supplement includes an interview with Jackie Kemp, the first UK children's commissioner to leave office.
Guardian Education Supplement

Daily Mail, Daily Telegraph, Sun
Bright children from poor homes are failing to get into university because of under-performing state schools and not class bias. That is the finding of a major study, covering hundreds of thousands of children, by the Institute for Fiscal Studies. Pupils at struggling comprehensives are getting such low grades they are simply not equipped for degree-level studies, it revealed.
The working class children betrayed by Labour: Bad schools NOT class bias to blame for thousands missing university (Daily Mail)
'Schools to blame' for smart, poor children failing to get into university (Daily Telegraph)
No work or school for 1 in 7 Brit kids (Sun not online)

Guardian
Boys do best with "as few girls as possible" in English lessons at primary and secondary school, Steven Proud, a research student at Bristol University, will tell the Royal Economic Society's conference. But when it comes to maths and science, both boys and girls at primary school achieve up to a tenth of a grade more when there is a high proportion of girls in the class, Proud found.
Girls make boys worse at English, says new study (Guardian)

Daily Telegraph
Astronomers testing a giant dust cloud at the heart of the Milky Way have found that it might taste of raspberries, according to reports. Scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy in Bonn were searching space for evidence of amino acids: the basic chemicals from which life is created. They told the Guardian newspaper that, despite failing to locate any such aminos, they did find a substance called ethyl formate, the chemical responsible for the flavour of raspberries.
Astronomers find Milky Way 'could taste of raspberries' (Daily Telegraph)