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Daily News Summary
4 November 2020

Coronavirus: Government expected to publish guidance on face masks in schools
Exams 2021: 'Using mocks as a back-up could compound disadvantage'
A closer look at the Let's Go Zero campaign

Coronavirus: Government expected to publish guidance on face masks in schools

 

According to The Times, the Government is expected to publish new guidance for schools today, which could instruct secondary pupils and teachers to wear masks on the premises. By Nicola Woolcock.

Schools Week reports Professor Chris Whitty, the Government's chief medical officer, has said teaching is not a "high risk" occupation.

Dr Patrick Roach, the general secretary of the NASUWT, has said the Government is not doing enough to ensure schools and colleges are safe from coronavirus, claiming health and safety visits have taken place at fewer than 300 of 23,000 schools so far. By John Roberts, Tes.

According to analysis from the National Institute of Economic and Social Research, the average pupil could earn £750 a year less than they would if their education had not been disrupted by coronavirus - amounting to £14,000 over the course of their lives. By Tim Wallace, The Telegraph.

Simon Barnes, a former teacher and founder of tuition company TLC LIVE, has warned funding for the National Tutoring Programme will "almost certainly need to be increased in 2021", claiming the demand for tuition is outstripping forecasts by more than 500 per cent. By Amy Gibbons, Tes.

Julie Elliott, Labour MP for Sunderland Central and chairwoman of the all-party parliamentary group on digital skills, writes in The Times arguing a digital divide between pupils "threatens to entrench disadvantages long after lockdown has been lifted".

According to The Independent, six children's charities have written a letter to Boris Johnson urging him to make the pandemic a "catalyst for real change" in tackling child poverty in the UK. By May Bulman.

The Telegraph reports the Government's announcement about the November lockdown has prompted headteachers to cancel after-school sports clubs, despite the communities secretary saying they should go ahead. By Camilla Turner. A separate article in the paper reports on the ways children with disabilities are being particularly affected by the new lockdown restrictions on school sports. By Jim White.

Jason Robinson, 2003 Rugby World Cup winner and former England captain, writes in The Telegraph that he is "extremely concerned about the consequences of kids not being able to play sport in a second lockdown".

Universities minister Michelle Donelan has written to students and vice chancellors advising against a switch to full online learning, warning: "This could jeopardise the learning that students receive, as well as risk their mental health and wellbeing.” By Nicola Woolcock, The Times.

The Guardian reports a number of university students have decided to return home, defying government guidance advising them to stay put during the lockdown. By Sally Weale.

 

Exams 2021: 'Using mocks as a back-up could compound disadvantage'

 

Sammy Wright, a commissioner at the Social Mobility Commission, has said that if January mock exams are used next year, teacher assessment grades must be "moderated effectively", as disadvantaged pupils would not have had time to catch up on their learning. By Samantha Booth, Schools Week.

 
Schools Week

A closer look at the Let's Go Zero campaign

 

The Telegraph reports on the launch of Let's Go Zero, a campaign aiming to encourage schools to pledge to go zero carbon by 2030. By Sarah Rodrigues. The article quotes Jenny Chapman, biology teacher and head of sustainability at North London Collegiate School.

 
The Telegraph

 

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