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Daily News Summary
21 May 2021

Exams 2021: 'Can next year's grades be compared to those in previous years?'
Coronavirus: "COVID has thrown the disparity of opportunities into sharper relief"
Helping schools to reduce their environmental impact
"Latin shouldn't be a class privilege"
Councils warn £118m could be lost from school budgets this year
'Cutting subsidies and tuition fees are part of a broader attack on England's liberal institutions'
'Boosting apprenticeships will be key to the levelling-up agenda'

Exams 2021: 'Can next year's grades be compared to those in previous years?'

 

Ian Bauckham, the chair of Ofqual, has questioned the comparability of 2022 GCSE and A-level grades with those awarded in previous years. By Catherine Lough, Tes.

Alex Quigley, national content manager at the Education Endowment Foundation, writes in Tes arguing any future changes to the assessment system must be "equitable for all pupils".

According to Tes, the Scottish Qualifications Authority is unlikely to publish appeals guidance until next week. By Henry Hepburn.

 

Coronavirus: "COVID has thrown the disparity of opportunities into sharper relief"

 

Claire Coutinho, Conservative MP for East Surrey, and David Johnston OBE, Conservative MP for Wantage, write in The Telegraph arguing the pandemic has highlighted the need to "close the opportunity gap and demolish barriers that stop people achieving their potential".

Becky Francis, chief executive of the Education Endowment Foundation, has said it has been a "challenge" to scale up the National Tutoring Programme to ensure catch-up support reaches the pupils who need it most. By Catherine Lough and Amy Gibbons, Tes.

Schools Week reports on concerns about the impact of COVID-19 on school budgets, as figures reveal the number of requests for funding support denied by the Department for Education. By Tom Belger.

The Government has been urged to fund an extra year of study for college students affected by the COVID-19 disruption. By Zoe Tidman, The Independent.

Footballer and child poverty campaigner Marcus Rashford has been named as the youngest person to top The Sunday Times Giving List for his efforts to support poor and vulnerable children during the pandemic. By Nick Rodrigues and Alastair McCall.

 

Helping schools to reduce their environmental impact

 

Independent Schools Magazine explores how Just One Tree and Let's Go Zero are helping schools to become carbon neutral by 2030. In a separate article, Kinuri Rathnayake, a Lower Sixth pupil at Mill Hill School, writes about the school's Eco Week, which involved a tree planting initiative.

Is your school involved in any sustainability projects? If you are able to provide details about this work, we would like to hear from you. For more information, please email web@isc.co.uk.

 

"Latin shouldn't be a class privilege"

 

Melanie McDonagh writes in The Times arguing Latin should be a part of the state school curriculum.

 
The Times

Councils warn £118m could be lost from school budgets this year

 

Councils have predicted that schools in England could lose £118 million in extra funding for disadvantaged pupils due to changes to the pupil premium. By Will Hazell, iNews.

 
iNews

'Cutting subsidies and tuition fees are part of a broader attack on England's liberal institutions'

 

Writing in The Guardian, Gaby Hinsliff expresses her concerns about the implications of reduced tuition fees and cuts to arts subjects at university.

 
The Guardian

'Boosting apprenticeships will be key to the levelling-up agenda'

 

John Cope, director of strategy, policy and public affairs at UCAS, writes in The Times in support of the Skills and Post-16 Education Bill, arguing apprenticeships need to be better integrated into schools' careers advice.

 
The Times

 

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