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Coronavirus: Scientists and school leaders call for vaccines to be rolled out to children
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General education
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Sir David King, chair of the Independent Sage Group, has said the Government should roll out the vaccination programme for secondary school students "quickly", and has called on ministers to rethink the policy on removing masks in schools "in light of the current figures". Tes.
Richard Russell, headmaster of Colfe's School, writes to The Times in support of the vaccination of children above the age of 12, saying "it would guarantee educational continuity in the next academic year".
Molly Kingsley, co-founder of the UsforThem group, writes in The Telegraph cautioning against proposals to roll out COVID vaccines to children, saying: "We owe it to them to ask whether such a move is justified and to be open about the other policy options available."
Professor Devi Sridhar, chair of global public health at Edinburgh University and a member of Nicola Sturgeon's COVID-19 advisory group, has said children will need to be vaccinated "if we want schools to continue without disruption in the autumn". By David McCann, The Times.
School leaders and education unions have condemned the Government's education recovery package for not including enough support for pupil wellbeing. By Emma Yeomans, The Times.
Education secretary Gavin Williamson has claimed that "too many schools" have restricted what children can do during their break times. By Camilla Turner, The Telegraph.
Louise Hayward, professor of educational assessment and innovation at the University of Glasgow and chairwoman of the Independent Assessment Commission, writes in The Times arguing the pandemic offers an opportunity to rethink England's education system.
According to The Guardian, dozens of secondary schools in England have reintroduced mask requirements in the classroom, amid a rise in local COVID cases. By Maya Wolfe-Robinson.
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Exams 2021: Fresh row over pupil grading in Scotland
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Examinations
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iNews reports plans to use data analysis tools to compare pupils' grades with the past performance of schools have been met with backlash in Scotland. By Chris Green.
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House of Lords debate: Arts subjects in secondary schools
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General education
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Speaking in a House of Lords debate yesterday, Lord Lingfield highlighted the proportion of independent schools with a school orchestra compared with state schools, and asked if the Government would ensure that funding for music hubs "is spent more effectively to allow more young people to play classical music together". In response, Baroness Berridge said: "The forthcoming national music plan, with its one-year extension to the music hubs, will take the matters that the noble Lord outlined into account."
Following on from Lord Lingfield's question, Lord Lexden, president of the Independent Schools Association, asked the Government if it had noted that "before the pandemic, state and independent schools were working together in over 1,200 partnership schemes involving either music or drama". In response, Baroness Berridge acknowledged this partnership work and explained that she would be holding a round table "to see how the existing partnerships could be strengthened and whether we could see an expansion of that activity".
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'Why isn't art in the national curriculum?'
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Teaching and learning
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Catherine Milner, chief curator for Messums art gallery, writes in The Telegraph calling for more consideration to be given to art and design in schools, arguing the subject "is good for both GDP and our mental health".
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Ofsted warns of challenges for schools in delivering a high-quality languages curriculum
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Teaching and learning
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Ofsted has published a research review identifying Brexit 'insecurity' and "underdeveloped" continuing professional development as challenges schools face when trying to deliver a high-quality languages curriculum. By James Carr, Schools Week.
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Studying maths beyond GCSE supports brain development, findings suggest
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Teaching and learning
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According to researchers at the University of Oxford, students who drop mathematics at the age of 16 have lower levels of a brain chemical that is critical for brain and cognitive development, compared with those who continue studying the subject. By Sally Weale, The Guardian.
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Tony Blair defends target of sending 50% of young people to university
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Higher education
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Former prime minister Tony Blair has defended his target of sending 50 per cent of young people to university, and has called on the Government to go further by opening up more institutions in red wall areas. By Nicola Woolcock, Rachel Sylvester and Emma Yeomans, The Times. The proposal forms part of an "Education 2030 Plan", which Lord Adonis, a former education minister, elaborates on in a separate piece for The Times.
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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.
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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.
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