A poll from the National Association of Headteachers has found that 72 per cent of respondents say their school is having to rely on external and parental fundraising to supplement their core budgets. By Will Hazell, iNews.

Pupils at Brighton Girls are receiving laughter therapy to ease anxiety following concerns over the effect of lockdowns on children. The sessions are based on research which shows that laughter reduces cortisol levels, the body’s main stress hormone. By Jaya Narain, The Times.

Keir Starmer has called for councils to be allowed to use exclusion orders to stop anti-vaccine activists from protesting outside schools. The Labour leader said: “It is sickening that anti-vax protesters are spreading dangerous misinformation to children in protests outside schools." By Sarah Marsh, The Guardian.

The Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) has called for an earlier release of exam materials for current Year 11 pupils who have missed more schooling than any other year group during the pandemic. Julie McCulloch, director of policy at ASCL, said the disruption to their schooling caused by the pandemic this term will be a "worry" for schools, students and parents. By Catherine Lough, Tes.

According to The Times, Rishi Sunak has concluded that the evidence is not strong enough to back a plan to extend the school day to help children make up for the hours they have lost during the pandemic. By Oliver Wright.

Concerns have been raised over data which suggests British students are being squeezed out of Oxbridge universities by their overseas competitors. Neil Roskilly, vice-president of the Independent Schools Association, said: "It is time to ask whether the Government should now be putting firm limits on the numbers of students at Oxbridge from overseas schools.” By Sian Griffiths and Tom Calver, The Sunday Times.

Victoria Bingham, headteacher at South Hampstead High School, has said that schools must not “crumble” in the face of student activism. Ms Bingham said: “Some of these things need thinking about and they need talking about. In the spirit of genuine respect and discussion.” By Camilla Turner, The Telegraph.

BBC News has reported that Rishi Sunak will announce £1.6 billion in funding for new T-levels for 16 to 19-year-olds in this week's Budget on Wednesday. By Hannah Richardson.

Speaking to Times Radio yesterday, the chancellor said the Government has “maxed out” on education catch-up funding. By John Dickens, Schools Week.

Penguin Books has launched Lit in Colour, an initiative to diversify the curriculum and school bookshelves. It comes in response to data collected by the publisher and the racial equality think-tank The Runnymede Trust, which found that less than one per cent of GCSE students study a book by an author of colour. By Jasmine Andersson, iNews.

Four unions representing school, college and university staff have signed a letter to the education secretary, Nadhim Zahawi, calling for climate crisis education to become fully embedded in the education system. Leaders of the NEU, NASUWT, the University and College Union (UCU) and Unison have all signed the letter. By PA Media, The Guardian.

An A-level history textbook, The Making of a Superpower: USA 1865-1975, has been withdrawn over an image asking whether the treatment of Native Americans had been exaggerated. By Harry Farley, BBC News.

In a letter to The Sunday Times, English footballer Marcus Rashford has been joined by high-street retailers such as Sainsbury's and John Lewis in calling for free school meals to be extended to millions more children in this week's Budget.

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