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Daily News Summary
12 December 2022

Labour's tax plans "economically illiterate", headmaster of Latymer Upper warns
Pandemic-style restrictions adopted by schools seeking to reduce spread of Strep A
Schools Week investigation: DfE and Ofsted criticised over "lack of data on child sexual abuse"
Concerns over England's teacher shortage as 'DfE rejects dozens of training courses'
Parents in Red Wall areas say children are missing out on art, drama and music, study finds
Skills minister calls for universities to be transparent over online learning
Sophisticated drug gangs 'using cost of living crisis to recruit cold and hungry children'
Rugby School pupil wins 2022 BBC Young Chorister of the Year competition

Labour's tax plans "economically illiterate", headmaster of Latymer Upper warns

 

David Goodhew, headmaster of Latymer Upper School, has claimed that Labour’s plans to remove the charitable status of independent schools are “economically illiterate”. Speaking to The Sunday Telegraph, Mr Goodhew said: “I don’t see how anyone benefits. The children in schools who are disrupted won’t benefit, the community won’t benefit if schools need to make difficult decisions about where they can allocate their resources... and the Government doesn't benefit, because by year five, it ends up costing them money.” By Louisa Clarence-Smith, Will Hazell and Tony Diver.

In a comment piece, Mark Littlewood explores the possible consequences of removing the charitable status of independent schools and warns that "the enhanced burden on state schooling could be vast". The Sunday Telegraph.

Addressing pupils at Redmaids’ High School, Darren Jones, MP for Bristol North West, reportedly said that he disagreed with Labour’s policy on independent schools and the party's proposal to add VAT to school fees. A source told the Daily Mail that Mr Jones was 'concerned about students who couldn’t afford independent schools any longer, where they would go and what it would cost state schools'. By Connor Stringer.

 

Pandemic-style restrictions adopted by schools seeking to reduce spread of Strep A

 

Schools have started to adopt pandemic-style restrictions such as year group bubbles and the use of face masks in an attempt to reduce the spread of Strep A. By Louisa Clarence-Smith and Joe Pinkstone, The Telegraph.

According to The Observer, Strep A home-test kits have been selling out, with pharmacists reporting difficulties sourcing supplies of antibiotics to treat the infection. By Harry Taylor.

 

Schools Week investigation: DfE and Ofsted criticised over "lack of data on child sexual abuse"

 

An investigation by Schools Week has found that "Ofsted receives hundreds of reports of peer-on-peer sexual abuse in schools every year, but cannot say how many have prompted inspections" and the Department for Education (DfE) reportedly "does not collect data on the number of reports it receives", which campaigners say could result in cases being missed. By Freddie Whittaker.

 
Schools Week

Concerns over England's teacher shortage as 'DfE rejects dozens of training courses'

 

Education leaders are warning that England’s teacher shortage could worsen after the Government turned down appeals by 'dozens' of established providers to gain official accreditation for their initial teacher training (ITT) courses. The Thinktank the Education Policy Institute (EPI) has said that some 68 courses failed to gain accreditation, threatening 4,400 training places. By Richard Adams, The Guardian.

 
The Guardian

Parents in Red Wall areas say children are missing out on art, drama and music, study finds

 

A report by Public First in conjunction with Unison and the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) has found that parents in key Red Wall seats such as Bolton, Wolverhampton and Reading would like the Government to direct education funding to extracurricular pursuits as much as academic subjects. It follows reports that schools have had to reduce the number of subjects taught this year to save money, with music and drama first to be cut. By Poppy Wood, iNews.

 
iNews

Skills minister calls for universities to be transparent over online learning

 

In a letter published in The Telegraph, Robert Halfon, minister for skills, apprenticeships and higher education, argues that if universities plan to use online learning, they must be "up-front" before admission. Arguing in favour of face-to-face education, he says: "Students deserve high-quality teaching that offers value for money, sets them up for great success, and enables them to climb the ladder of opportunity."

 
The Telegraph

Sophisticated drug gangs 'using cost of living crisis to recruit cold and hungry children'

 

Headteachers have warned that criminal gangs are using incentives including hot food and warm clothes to recruit vulnerable children into "county line" drug runs across the country, as the cost of living crisis impacts local public service provision. By Anna Fazackerley, The Observer.

 
The Observer

Rugby School pupil wins 2022 BBC Young Chorister of the Year competition

 

Rugby School student Naomi Simon has won the 2022 BBC Young Chorister of the Year competition after making the semi-finals last year. The full competition, including Naomi’s performance, can be viewed here. Independent School Management Plus.

 
Independent School Management Plus

 

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