Vicky Bingham, head of South Hampstead High School, has chosen to give up buying new clothes for a year, inspiring her pupils to make their own pledges to do their bit to tackle climate change. By Rosemary Bennett, The Times.

The paper also reports on the rise of "eco-anxiety", with more people - particularly children and teenagers - feeling helplessness and guilt over climate change. By Kaya Burgess, The Times.

Tes reports at least 100 independent schools plan to leave the Teachers' Pension Scheme, prompting threats of strikes and a challenge from the NEU teaching union. By Dave Speck. The article quotes Julie Robinson, chief executive of the Independent Schools Council.

Andrew Halls, head of King's College School in Wimbledon, writes in The Sunday Times criticising the decision to decline the offer of bursary funding for disadvantaged white boys, arguing it is important to recognise that "poor white boys are falling ever further behind" academically.

Nick Ferrari writes in The Express arguing 'schools should not be able to turn down money on the basis of skin colour'.

The Observer features a comment piece from Kenan Malik, in which he argues: "It is class, far more than ethnicity, which shapes educational attainment."

The Sunday Times reports Generating Genius, a leading charity working to help disadvantaged black teenagers, has chosen to help "left-behind" working-class white young people. By Sian Griffiths, Tom Calver and Rosamund Urwin. The article mentions a number of schools in membership of the ISC's constituent associations, and references a quote from the aforementioned comment piece written by Andrew Halls.

A number of independent schools are rolling out a personal development course for their sixth formers designed to teach them how to lead, build meaningful relationships, and have effective conversations. By Camilla Turner, The Telegraph. The article mentions several schools in membership of the ISC's constituent associations.

The Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) has been accused of 'hardwiring inequity into the system', after it was revealed that 56 per cent of its special performance reports - which are designed to identify and address students' weak areas - were purchased by Scottish independent schools between 2013-14 and 2017-18. By James McEnaney, The National. The article references a number of schools in membership of the ISC's constituent associations.

According to a new report from the Resolution Foundation, the number of working 16 and 17-year-olds has fallen considerably since the late 1990s, with young people increasingly prioritising their studies over part-time work. BBC News.

iNews reports on proposals for a new natural history GCSE, intended to help reconnect young people with wildlife. By Will Hazell.

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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