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Daily News Summary
11 January 2019

'The debate surrounding IGCSEs is serving no one and is setting young people against each other'
Headmaster warns of the damage from online group communications which can often spiral out of control
'Not getting into Oxbridge does not make you a failure'
The Seldon List: Influential people in education
Five things to consider when teaching abroad
"Studying, learning and playing music isn’t a privilege or a nice-to-have, it’s a vital part of a child’s education"
The schools beating the GCSE languages decline
Staffing shortfalls mean children lack access to educational psychologists

'The debate surrounding IGCSEs is serving no one and is setting young people against each other'

 

Shaun Fenton, chairman of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference (HMC) and headmaster of Reigate Grammar School, writes an opinion piece for Schools Week arguing that independent schools should not be blamed for choosing to take IGCSEs.

Yvonne Williams, head of English at Portsmouth High School for Girls, gives her view on IGCSEs and the new GCSE examinations and argues that the 'democracy of choice should be extended to all'. Read in Tes.

 
Schools Week

Headmaster warns of the damage from online group communications which can often spiral out of control

 

The Telegraph reports on comments made by Dominic Floyd, head of prep at Mount Kelly in Devon, that online platforms used by parents are eroding the relationship of trust between parents and schools. By Camilla Turner.

 
The Telegraph

'Not getting into Oxbridge does not make you a failure'

 

Shaun Fenton, head of Reigate Grammar School and HMC chair, argues that many universities offer students the same "or better" than Oxbridge and pupils should not see themselves as a failure if they do not secure an Oxbridge place. Tes.

 
Tes

The Seldon List: Influential people in education

 

A list drawn up by Sir Anthony Seldon, with the help of a panel of 20 educationists, has revealed the "most influential people in education". By Freddie Whittaker, Schools Week.

 
Schools Week

Five things to consider when teaching abroad

 

For those thinking about teaching abroad, Mark S Steed, director of JESS Dubai, lists five questions to consider. Tes.

 
Tes

"Studying, learning and playing music isn’t a privilege or a nice-to-have, it’s a vital part of a child’s education"

 

Schools minister Nick Gibb writes for The Times about his wish for every child to leave primary school able to read music.

Schools Week reports on a new model music curriculum, drawn up by experts in the field, which has been announced by the Government.

The Guardian reports on a survey by the Fabian Society, which has revealed a 'shocking decline' in the arts education received by primary school-aged children in England since 2010.

 
The Times

The schools beating the GCSE languages decline

 

The Department for Education recently confessed it was “struggling hugely” with the decline in GCSE languages, yet many schools across the country have been working to beat this trend. By Dave Speck, Tes.

 
Tes

Staffing shortfalls mean children lack access to educational psychologists

 

Children lack adequate support to educational psychologists due to staffing shortfalls, a survey has found. By Helen Ward, Tes.

 
Tes

 

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