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Daily News Summary
16 May 2018

Too many extra-curricular activities are piling on the stress
School choice can lead to more unhappy pupils, say researchers
The arts should not continue to be seen as inferior
Maths GCSE should be scrapped and special numeracy tests introduced, says Lord Kenneth Baker
Watches to be banned from exams
How to make exam marking more reliable
Grade inflation means more students getting firsts this year

Too many extra-curricular activities are piling on the stress

 

According to a study by the European Physical Education Review, parents who send their children to a number of extra-curricular activities are exhausting them and putting pressure on family life. By Greg Hurst, The Times.

 
The Times

School choice can lead to more unhappy pupils, say researchers

 

According to academics from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), school choice can lead to more unhappy pupils. By Charlotte Santry, Tes.

 
Tes

The arts should not continue to be seen as inferior

 

Alice Thomson writes a comment piece for The Times arguing that giving up on the arts in school is a big mistake.

 
The Times

Maths GCSE should be scrapped and special numeracy tests introduced, says Lord Kenneth Baker

 

Lord Kenneth Baker, education secretary under Margaret Thatcher in the 1980s, has suggested axing the current maths GCSE and replacing it with a core maths paper, which would teach the competences needed for everyday life, and an optional further maths paper. By Camilla Turner, The Telegraph.

Lord Baker's original piece can be read here.

 
The Telegraph

Watches to be banned from exams

 

The Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ) is to ban pupils wearing wristwatches in exams, due to cheating concerns. By Nicola Woolcock, The Times.

 
The Times

How to make exam marking more reliable

 

Daisy Christodoulou, director of education at No More Marking, discusses how to improve exam marking and make it more reliable. Tes.

 
Tes

Grade inflation means more students getting firsts this year

 

University grade inflation means that a new top category will need to be introduced, after it emerged that almost a third of students are on course for a first this summer. By Rosemary Bennett, The Times.

 
The Times

 

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