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Daily News Summary
29 October 2021

Coronavirus: New data reveals fewer teenagers in England have been vaccinated than previously estimated
'Schoolchildren need to be taught about online dangers in same way as crossing the road'
Autumn Budget: New funding for schools could be "eaten up" by teacher salaries, union warns
Schools face energy price hikes of up to £80m, Labour warns
Call for a temporary ban on isolation booths in schools
Nicola Sturgeon calls the use of facial recognition tech in schools 'unnecessary'
School asks parents not to let children dress up as characters from Squid Game for Halloween

Coronavirus: New data reveals fewer teenagers in England have been vaccinated than previously estimated

 

New data has revealed that the number of vaccinated teenagers in England is lower than previously thought. According to the UK Health Security Agency, it is now estimated that 19.3 per cent of 12 to 15 year-olds have been vaccinated, revised down from 22.1 per cent. By Chris Smyth, The Times.

Official data from the Department for Education has found that referrals from schools to social services about vulnerable pupils fell by 31 per cent during the pandemic. Anne Longfield, the chairwoman of the Commission on Young Lives said: “Even though schools were open for vulnerable children, many did not attend, and it is very concerning that many have dropped off the radar since." By John Roberts, Tes.

 

'Schoolchildren need to be taught about online dangers in same way as crossing the road'

 

Susie Hargreaves, the chief executive of the Internet Watch Foundation, has warned that schoolchildren need to be taught about online dangers following evidence that children as young as seven are increasingly being “tricked” into creating indecent images of themselves. By Mike Wright, The Telegraph.

 
The Telegraph

Autumn Budget: New funding for schools could be "eaten up" by teacher salaries, union warns

 

Paul Whiteman, the general secretary of National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT), has warned that the new funding for schools announced in the Budget risks being “eaten up” by paying teachers’ salaries, meaning children “might not see anything at all”. By Camilla Turner, The Telegraph.

A new analysis by the Institute for Fiscal Studies has revealed that health spending has increased 42 per cent since 2010, while education spending has risen by just three per cent. By Ben Riley-Smith, The Telegraph.

 

Schools face energy price hikes of up to £80m, Labour warns

 

Labour has warned that schools may face energy price hikes of up to £80 million in a year as gas and electric prices soar. Paul Whiteman, the general secretary of the NAHT, has said ministers “urgently need to look at how schools might be impacted this winter”. By Freddie Whittaker, Schools Week.

 
Schools Week

Call for a temporary ban on isolation booths in schools

 

The British Psychological Society has called on the Government to ban isolation booths in schools until a system is in place to monitor their use “to protect the rights and interests of all children and their families”. Tom Bennett, the DfE’s lead behaviour adviser, has criticised the proposal, describing it as “the kind of advice that leads to schools being violent and unsafe for staff and students”. By John Roberts, Tes.

 
Tes

Nicola Sturgeon calls the use of facial recognition tech in schools 'unnecessary'

 

Nicola Sturgeon, the first minster of Scotland, has said the use of facial recognition technologies in schools "does not appear to be proportionate or necessary". By Kieran Andrews, The Times.

 
The Times

School asks parents not to let children dress up as characters from Squid Game for Halloween

 

Following concerns over young people watching Squid Game, Newton Park primary school in Wick, Caithness, has asked parents not to dress up their children as characters from the Netflix show for Halloween. By Arthi Nachiappan, The Times.

 
The Times

 

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