ISC Daily News Summary

Daily Telegraph

Comment piece in the Daily Telegraph following this week's press coverage of the Children, Schools and Families Select Committee session at which ISC Chief Executive, Chris Parry, gave evidence. The piece emphasises the sacrifices many families make in order to secure an education for their children in independent schools, which have greater flexibility than their maintained sector counterparts.

The country needs more 'private' schools (Daily Telegraph)

TES

The TES reports that a number of schools belonging to the Independent Association of Prep Schools (IAPS) have indicated that they would like to be involved in one of 400 planned academies, either as lead sponsors or through links with commercial partners. Chief Executive of IAPS, David Hanson, is quoted. The 2008 ISC Annual Census is referred to.

Prep schools bid to sponsor academies (TES not online)

G2

A substantial feature in today's G2 looks at the percentage of cabinet ministers who have been educated in independent schools over the past 70 years. In 1938 the figure was 100%, in 1998 it was 28% and today it is 62%. The feature suggests that this indicates how Britain is becoming less meritocratic.         

Networked from birth (G2)

Times, Daily Mail

The Times and Daily Mail report that Brighton College has created a new 'Story of Our Land' course to cover the broad sweep of history from zero AD to the 21st century over six lessons a week. Headmaster of Brighton College, Richard Cairns, is quoted.

Brighton College drops history, geography and RE (Times)
Top private school scraps 'PC syllabus' to teach pupils the REAL history of Britishness (Daily Mail)

TES

Teaching tips in the TES magazine from Mark Ingham at Bishop's Stortford College Junior School and Brad Russell at Heathfield St Mary's School. A book review by Headmaster of Hymers College, David Elstone, is also published in the magazine.

Give grammar a lift off (TES magazine not online)
A crash course (TES magazine not online)
Find the answer (TES magazine not online) 

Evening Standard

'CPI inflation is not likely to relate closely to any rise in the price of paid-for education, so private school fees should not be compared with the CPI figures.' Pru Jones, Head of Research, ISC.

The real cost of private schools (Evening Standard letters not online)

TES

The TES leads with the news that new national tests for primary and secondary pupils are to be changed after only one in 10 passed one exam. The government is to respond to the unexpectedly low scores by altering the tests so that pupils get more time to complete the higher-level sections.

Low scores force rethink on new Sats (TES)

Times

A report by the think tank Policy Exchange warns that so few students are signing up for teacher training courses that a 'famine' of teachers could result.

Anxiety over teacher shortage (Times)

TES

A TES comment piece criticises the government's decision to withdraw financial support for state schools planning to offer the International Baccalaureate (IB) qualification.

Shame on those who pulled funds on Bac (TES not online)

Times, Sun, BBC News Online

A study by the Institute of Education indicates that children who have failed to master the basics of reading by the age of 6 are becoming the best in their class after only a few hours of specialist one-to-one tuition. About 5,000 children are currently on the scheme, which is part of the government-backed Every Child a Reader initiative, and ministers aim to roll it out to 30,000 pupils by 2010.

Worst readers shoot to the top of class after one-to-one tuition (Times)
On write track (Sun)
Catch-up reading scheme 'success' (BBC News Online)

Guardian

Shadow Education Secretary Michael Gove has claimed that generations of children have been let down by so-called progressive education policies which have taught skills and 'empathy' instead of bodies of knowledge.

Children being failed by progressive teaching, say Tories (Guardian)

Independent, BBC News Online

Teachers at a state school in Derby are threatening to strike over plans to convert their school into an academy.

Teachers warn of academies strike (Independent not online)
Strike threat over academy plan (BBC News Online)

Times, Sun, BBC News Online

The Child Exploitation and Online Protection centre (CEOP) has developed new teaching resources involving cartoon characters to help primary school children surf the web safely.

Cartoon characters to teach children as young as 5 about online dangers (Times)
Dolphin protects web kids (Sun)
Child web-safety guide launched (BBC News Online)

Scotsman

The governors of a troubled residential school for vulnerable youngsters in Aberdeen have announced proposals to close the facility.

Board considers closing troubled residential school (Scotsman)

Economist

Features on schools in Chicago and New York in the Economist.

Red ties and boys' pride (Economist)
Six books a week (Economist)

Monday, BBC1, 8.30pm

BBC1's Panorama programme is to screen an exposé of England's Sats regime on Monday in which leading educationists will say testing has gone too far. The documentary, entitled 'Tested to Destruction', compares the English testing system unfavourably with arrangements in Wales, which has abandoned the national tests.

Panorama: Tested to destruction (BBC)
BBC's 'Panorama' will show that Sats have gone too far (TES)

Today's TES also includes articles on new inspection plans and pointing the finger at 'incompetent' teachers. This week's Times Higher Education (THE) includes articles on the ‘brain drain' and Cambridge's international reputation.

G2, Scotsman

A feature in G2 salutes Sir Alan Sugar's aide, Margaret Mountford, in his search for 'The Apprentice'. Meanwhile, Edinburgh University is defending itself after Margaret called the institution's academic credentials into question in the latest episode.

Headmistress to the nation (G2)
‘You're fired' - Edinburgh University is panned after Apprentice's error (Scotsman)