ISC Daily News Summary

Daily Telegraph
Publishing league tables that attempt to show how much a school improves its pupils' educational standards is "a meaningless exercise" because they fail to predict future performance, a study by statisticians at the University of Bristol has found. Writing in the publication Research in Public Policy, the statisticians argued that "relying on league tables to inform school choice leads to highly misleading judgments since these tables ignore the uncertainty that arises from predicting schools' future performance based on their past performance." ISC will be responding to this item via a letter to the Telegraph, a link to which will be included in tomorrow's Daily News Summary.
School league tables 'are meaningless' (Daily Telegraph)

Guardian Education Supplement
The Guardian Education Supplement sets out five things schools can do to be more eco-friendly. There is also an article on the importance of training children in first aid.
Guardian Education Supplement  

Daily Telegraph
School pupils were disqualified from last year's national Sats tests because their teachers gave them the answers or even completed the exams for them, it has emerged. All 339 pupils from 70 schools had Sats test results annulled or changed because of cheating by teachers or bungled handling of exams, official figures show. In some cases, children were accidentally given too much time to complete the tests, while in others they were deliberately coached during the exam in order to reach the correct answer.
Pupils disqualified from Sats after teachers cheated (Daily Telegraph)

Independent, Guardian, Daily Express
Widespread coverage today of the news that Lord Mandelson has said the UK needs to "face up" to paying for excellence at its universities. It is likely to be taken as the strongest indication yet that the Government is looking at raising the cap on tuition fees. Addressing university vice-chancellors at Birkbeck University yesterday, Lord Mandelson said he did not want to pre-empt the outcome of a tuition fee review which is due to begin later this year and is expected to take around a year. This means it will not finish before the next general election. 
Mandelson delivers warning on university funding (Independent)
Mandelson hints tuition fees could rise (Guardian)
Plot to increase fees for middle class students (Daily Express)

The Guardian Education Supplement today reveals that students with vocational qualifications are less likely to get a university place – and those who do are more likely to go to newer universities and to drop out in their first year than those with A-levels, according to new research by Oxford University's education department.
Universities are failing students with vocational qualifications (Guardian)

Times
The quality end of the student rental market is booming as demand for high-quality university accommodation increases. Flats in two new build blocks in Leeds and London are already being snapped up. The Times investigates.
Increase in luxury flats to cater for discerning students (Times)

BBC News Online
A string of colleges faces serious financial difficulties because of a mismanaged national rebuilding scheme, an MP's report says. The Learning and Skills Council, which oversaw the scheme, allocated £2.7bn more than it could afford to rebuild England's further education colleges.
College rebuilding £2.7bn in red (BBC News Online)

Independent - Parent Supplement
School’s out and children across the land rejoice at the long summer days stretching ahead. But those very same long summer days are a source of considerable anxiety, stress and expense for parents as they juggle childcare, work and family budgets. With the recession hitting family incomes, new research from the Training and Development Agency for Schools (TDA) shows that nearly 60 per cent of parents are worried about the cost of keeping children entertained during the summer holidays.
Cut the stress (Independent Parent Supplement not online)

Daily Express
The Daily Express reports that playground games are vanishing- because of health and safety rules. Over three-quarters of girls no longer use a skipping rope, compared to 94 per cent of their mothers for whom it was a playtime pleasure. And just over a third of boys ever play conkers, while 83 per cent of their fathers would have tried their hands.
For safety's sake, skip the playground games (Daily Express)

School milk could have long-lasting health benefits, according to a 65-year study, which shows that children who drink half a pint of milk a day may be up to 60 per cent less likely to die from a stroke later in life.
Adults Who Drank Milk As Children At Lower Risk Of Strokes (Herald)