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Daily News Summary
4 February 2019

Tes Independent School Awards 2019
Banning mobile phones in schools and the problems with social media
A mentoring app to help girls with careers advice
Book reviews: 'Engines of Privilege: Britain’s Private School Problem'
'Teaching to the test is sucking the love out of learning'
'The importance of history and why it should not be squeezed out of the curriculum'
"Oracy needs more attention from schools"
Mindfulness lessons to address children's mental health problems

Tes Independent School Awards 2019

 

Tes details the winners of this year's Independent School Awards.

Bolton School, Boys' and Girls' Divisions, won 'independent school of the year' for its academic achievements and outreach activities.

The awards supported Child Bereavement UK (CBUK), the nominated Tes charity. The work of CBUK is outlined in a Tes article by Deborah Leek Bailey OBE.

Read more about the winners on the awards website.

 
Tes

Banning mobile phones in schools and the problems with social media

 

Schools minister, Nick Gibb MP, has called for a mobile phone ban in schools to address issues with internet safety, social media and online gaming. By Chris Mason, BBC News.

Today's leading article in The Times argues teachers should encourage pupils to take responsibility for their smartphone use. Leo Winkley, head at Shrewsbury School, writes a letter in The Times on the subject. Letter just below half-way.

In an interview with The Sunday Times, the education secretary has said social media companies have a "moral duty" to remove online content that promotes suicide and self-harm. Andrew Halls, head of King’s College School, Wimbledon, writes a letter to The Sunday Times on this issue. Letter towards the top of the page.

 
BBC

A mentoring app to help girls with careers advice

 

A mentoring app offering advice to thousands of students about university and careers will be rolled out across all schools in the Girls’ Day School Trust (GDST). By Nicola Woolcock, The Times. The article quotes Kevin Stannard, the director of innovation and learning at the GDST. A number of ISC schools are referenced.

 
The Times

Book reviews: 'Engines of Privilege: Britain’s Private School Problem'

 

This weekend saw a number of book reviews following the publication of 'Engines of Privilege: Britain’s Private School Problem', by social historian David Kynaston and the economist Francis Green.

Hugo Rifkind writes in The Times that the book works more as an "unintended advert" for private schools, whilst Dominic Sandbrook questions whether the 'private school problem' is as urgent an issue as posed in the book.

Allison Peason writes in The Telegraph that closing down private schools in "an act of class spite" is pointless since a 'new generation of selective-state schools are taking on the fight'.

 

'Teaching to the test is sucking the love out of learning'

 

Neil Roskilly, CEO at the Independent Schools Association, argues the exams system does not have children at its heart, with results being used "to judge schools rather than help children’s learning". Tes.

 
Tes

'The importance of history and why it should not be squeezed out of the curriculum'

 

Dr Bernard Trafford, a former independent school head, writes about the importance of learning history in school. Tes.

 
Tes

"Oracy needs more attention from schools"

 

Schools minister, Nick Gibb MP, has called for more attention to be given to oracy, which "can support the delivery of a knowledge-rich curriculum”. By Jess Staufenberg, Schools Week.

 
Schools Week

Mindfulness lessons to address children's mental health problems

 

Up to 370 schools across the country will take part in mental health trials to see what works best in keeping young people well. By Richard Vaughan, iNews.

 
iNews

 

The Independent Schools Council (ISC) monitors the national and educational press in order to keep independent schools up-to-date with relevant education news. The DNS is a service primarily for schools in membership of ISC associations, although other interested parties can choose to sign-up. We endeavour to include relevant news and commentary and, wherever possible, notable public letters. Where capacity allows, we may include links to ISC blogs, press statements and information about school or association events. News stories are selected based on their relevance to the independent sector as a whole. Editorial control of the DNS remains solely with the ISC.

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