isc logo  

Daily News Summary
7 July 2020

Coronavirus: Schools given permission to cut back their curriculums when pupils return
IB results day 2020
Hundreds of dilapidated schools 'still waiting for new buildings'

Coronavirus: Schools given permission to cut back their curriculums when pupils return

 

Amanda Spielman, Ofsted's chief inspector, has confirmed schools will be able to reduce their curriculums to help pupils catch up on their education. She said the decision "should be made in the interests of each individual child, not in a blanket way to do what is convenient for the school". By Camilla Turner, The Telegraph.

Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, has said reintroducing Ofsted inspections in January is "the wrong priority", adding the union 'welcomes the commitment to keeping the date under review'. By John Roberts, Tes.

Speaking on the latest edition of the Tes Scotland podcast, education secretary John Swinney said there is "a really strong argument" to reform exams in Scotland. By Emma Seith.

The Times reports 25,000 laptops, bought by the Scottish Government to help disadvantaged pupils with their learning during the pandemic, remain in storage. By Kieran Andrews.

According to Anne Longfield, the children's commissioner, 120,000 vulnerable teenagers are at risk of never returning to full-time education. By Camilla Turner, The Telegraph.

The Mail reports most children on the official coronavirus shielding list will no longer have to shield after July. By Sam Blanchard.

An article in The Telegraph explores how home schooling can have a positive impact on teenage boys. By Leah Hardy.

Brad Brasseur, a humanities teacher at an international British school in Lima, Peru, writes in Tes about how he has built relationships with his students while teaching remotely.

 

IB results day 2020

 

Figures show the average scores for this summer's International Baccalaureate (IB) diploma are the highest they have been in four years. By Catherine Lough, Tes.

A separate article in Tes reports some school leaders are unhappy with their results, and have called for more transparency over this year's grading process. By Catherine Lough. The article quotes David James, deputy head of Bryanston School.

 

Hundreds of dilapidated schools 'still waiting for new buildings'

 

The Independent reports hundreds of schools are still waiting to be rebuilt or refurbished after the Building Schools for the Future programme was scrapped in July 2010. By Rob Merrick.

Unity Howard, director of the New Schools Network, writes in The Times claiming rebuilding existing schools "will not address our nation's skills deficit". She argues setting up new schools "would provide countless opportunities for the most disadvantaged pupils".

 

 

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.

Sign-up to the email service is available on our website.

Members can contact the ISC if they know in advance of news, letters or opinions that are likely to feature in the media, or are aware of existing coverage which they would like to see featured in the DNS.

Headlines and first-line summaries are written by the ISC with the link directing to the source material. You should read and comply with the terms and conditions of the websites to which we link.