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Exams 2021: Ofqual considers early tests for pupils 'in case they are unable to sit summer exams'
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Examinations
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An article in The Telegraph reports pupils could be made to sit early benchmarking tests, in case they are unable to sit exams in June or July due to illness or self-isolation. By Camilla Turner.
The Education Policy Institute has recommended the implementation of externally set assessment tests next spring as a back-up in case GCSE and A-level exams are cancelled. By Andrew Woodcock, The Independent.
BBC News reports a teaching union in Wales has called for urgent clarity over alternative arrangements for next year's GCSEs and A-levels. By Teleri Glyn Jones.
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Coronavirus: Poll findings highlight divide over closing of schools during lockdown
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General education
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According to a survey by Teacher Tapp, just 39 per cent of teachers support the call to close schools during the November lockdown. By Camilla Turner, The Telegraph.
Amanda Spielman, the chief inspector of Ofsted, has warned a spread of "misinformation" about coronavirus is prompting some parents to educate their children at home. By Will Hazell, iNews.
According to data from the Office for National Statistics, teachers in England are no more likely to catch coronavirus than other professionals working outside of the home. By Ben Quinn and Pamela Duncan, The Guardian.
An article in The Telegraph reports the Association for Physical Education and the Youth Sports Trust have been inundated with enquiries from schools seeking help interpreting government guidance on the delivery of school sport during lockdown. By Ben Rumsby and Matt Law.
Anne Longfield, the children's commissioner for England, writes in The Telegraph calling on the Government to "draw up new guidelines, quickly, that enable sport outside school to continue".
The Telegraph reports on concerns that some independent schools are continuing to run sport fixtures while municipal fields remain closed during lockdown. By Tom Morgan.
An article in The Times reports hundreds of thousands of pupils in Scotland are due to break up from school less than 72 hours before Christmas Day, prompting concerns they could spread the virus by travelling and mixing with older generations. By Helen Puttick.
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Free school meals: Government U-turns over school holiday provision
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Child welfare
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The Sunday Times reports the Government is to provide a £170 million funding package to local authorities to help provide food for vulnerable children during the school holidays. By Caroline Wheeler and Sian Griffiths.
Footballer and campaigner Marcus Rashford has said he 'very much welcomes the steps that have been taken to combat child food poverty in the UK'. By Hannah Richardson, BBC News.
An article in The Telegraph reports on the reaction among Conservative MPs to the decision. By Christopher Hope and Amy Jones.
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UCAS to publish proposal for post-qualification admissions system
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Higher education
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According to The Times, UCAS is expected to publish two options for university admissions reform, one of which proposes students should not apply for places until they have received their A-level results. By Nicola Woolcock.
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Sales of white poppies in schools 'have quadrupled in the past year'
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Teaching and learning
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According to the Peace Pledge Union, white poppy sales in schools have risen from 59 to 280 this year. Symon Hill, of the PPU, has suggested the Black Lives Matter movement has 'clearly got people talking about the good and bad bits of history, and what it means to remember the past'. By Camilla Turner, The Telegraph.
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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.
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