More than 1,500 UK paediatricians have signed a letter to the prime minister urging him to share more details about how children will return to school safely, warning prolonged closures risk "scarring the life chances of a generation of young people". BBC News.

The Guardian reports the Government is expected to announce a year-long national tutoring programme designed to help pupils in England catch up on their education. By Sally Weale and Richard Adams.

Conservative MPs have accused teachers' unions of 'actively obstructing' plans to reopen schools in England. By Katherine Sellgren, BBC News.

An article in The Times features expert views on how children can return to school safely. By Ben Ellery and Nicola Woolcock. The article quotes David Goodhew, head of Latymer Upper School.

Jamie Greene, the Scottish Conservative shadow education secretary, writes in The Telegraph saying the Scottish Government "has fallen hopelessly short" on its plan to bring pupils back to school. First minister Nicola Sturgeon has been accused of spreading confusion among parents, after expressing support for plans to "reopen as normally as possible" on 11 August despite John Swinney, the deputy first minister and education secretary, saying the two-metre rule will remain in place in August. By Simon Johnson, The Telegraph. Cosla, the umbrella body for local authorities in Scotland, has warned MSPs "significant" extra funding is needed to reopen schools safely. By Emma Seith, Tes. According to a survey from the Child Poverty Action Group, poorer families in Scotland are twice as likely to lack the resources needed to support home learning. By Mike Wade, The Times.

A survey conducted by University College London has found just 1.9 per cent of pupils in Wales have four or more daily online lessons, compared with the UK average of seven per cent. BBC News.

An article in Tes answers some frequently asked questions about this year's GCSEs and A-levels. By Dave Speck.

Jane Prescott, headmistress of Portsmouth High School, writes to The Telegraph in support of all pupils returning to the classroom, adding: "We have a robust risk assessment in place and have, for instance, created outdoor handwashing stations as part of our plan." The letter can be found a third of the way down the page. Ms Prescott is also featured in the latest issue of Independent Schools Magazine, where she discusses the emotional implications of pupils' return to school. A separate article in the magazine explores the measures some independent schools have in place to ensure the safe return of pupils. The article quotes Jeremy Quartermain, head of Rossall School, and mentions Lomond School in Helensburgh, Scotland.

In a message to The Prince's Trust, the Prince of Wales has warned of the impact of the pandemic on young people, calling for action to "prevent this crisis from defining the prospects of a generation". By Hannah Furness, Camilla Turner and Sarah Knapton, The Telegraph. The article references the ISC.

Alan Watkinson, Mo Farah's former PE teacher, has urged the Government to commit to providing £320 million of funding to support physical education in primary schools. By Jeremy Wilson, The Telegraph.

According to analysis from the Education Policy Institute, around 1,800 more graduates are expected to embark on teacher training programmes over the next two years, reducing recruitment shortages in schools by up to 40 per cent. Schools Week.

Dr Pragya Agarwal, a behavioural scientist and author of 'Sway: Unravelling Unconscious Bias', offers advice to parents on how they can give their children an anti-racist education. iNews.

A new report from the EDSK think tank has called for an overhaul of the university admissions system, claiming personal statements and predicted grades are biased against disadvantaged students. By Nicola Woolcock, The Times.

According to a survey by the Council of British International Schools, 49 per cent of teachers in international schools said they moved overseas for a better salary, up from 44 per cent in 2018. By Catherine Lough, Tes.

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.