Figures show that top grades at GCSE (7/As and above) have risen 2.7 percentage points to 28.9%, while passes (4/Cs and above) have increased 0.8 percentage points to 76.3%. BBC News.

ISC chairman Barnaby Lenon has issued a statement wishing pupils well as they receive their Year 11 results, saying: "We hope the grades young people receive today enable them to pursue their goals with confidence, whether they are continuing their education or following another pathway." Read the full statement here.

Professor Alan Smithers, director at the Centre for Education and Employment Research at the University of Buckingham, has suggested parents could join a campaign to scrap GCSE exams after two successive years of teacher assessed grades. By Joe Middleton, The Independent. An article published in The Telegraph in advance of this year's results reported that girls were expected to increase their lead over their male peers, with Professor Smithers saying we should "accept it is just that they are cleverer". By Camilla Turner. The article quotes Neil Roskilly, vice president of the Independent Schools Association.

Labour leader Keir Starmer has called on Boris Johnson to sack his education secretary, Gavin Williamson, for failing children "over and over again" during the pandemic. By Rowena Mason and Aubrey Allegretti, The Guardian.

Nick Gibb, the schools minister, has said exams will return in 2022, though the grading standard could be adjusted to "make them fair". By Catherine Neilan, The Telegraph.

Sam Freedman, a former government education adviser, has written a report suggesting exam grades should be "permanently rebased" to 2020 levels. By Freddie Whittaker, Schools Week.

According to iNews, it could take between three and five years to reverse A-level and GCSE grade inflation to pre-pandemic levels. By Will Hazell.

Paul Whiteman, general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers, has said proposals to move A-level grading to a numeric system are "unrealistic". By Sally Guyoncourt, iNews.

Sir Kevan Collins, the former education recovery commissioner, has suggested that universities will have to support students with gaps in their education "so we don't see huge barriers to learning". By Nicola Woolcock, The Times.

According to data from UCAS, record numbers of school leavers in England are accepting university places left open following a drop in EU student applications. By Rachel Hall, The Guardian.

Experts have suggested that Scottish teenagers sitting exams next year face disadvantage as a result of this year's grade inflation. By Daniel Sanderson, The Telegraph.

The Telegraph explores why many parents have opted to enrol their children in independent schools during the pandemic, with many citing the quality of online learning provision as a contributing factor. By Harry de Quetteville.

A survey conducted by Public Health England has concluded that rapid and widespread asymptomatic testing, the vaccination of school staff, bubbles and the isolation system have helped to reduce transmission of COVID-19 in classrooms. By Jane Merrick, iNews.

Euan Blair, son of Tony Blair, has said the former prime minister's target for half of all school leavers to attend university "has not worked out", adding: "There is an incredible route through an apprenticeship to some of the world’s best companies and some of the world’s best tech start-ups."

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.