isc logo  

Daily News Summary
26 May 2022

'School leadership and pupil wellbeing are at the heart of our new school inspection proposals'
Ministers set aside £22.6m to help small school staff complete NPQs
It is right for schools to be included in the new children's social care proposals, says children’s commissioner
"While there is inequality in the world, there will always be a place for girls-only education"
DfE to publish a handbook for schools on supporting pupil wellbeing
Pupils launch petition calling for a ban on school uniforms in sex shops and porn
Number of international university students set to rise by almost 50 per cent
A closer look at the 93 Percent Club

'School leadership and pupil wellbeing are at the heart of our new school inspection proposals'

 

Vanessa Ward, chief inspector of the Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI), writes in Tes outlining proposals for a new inspection framework, which intends to put ‘school leadership and its impact on pupils’ wellbeing at the heart of inspection practice’.

Libby Nicholas, managing director at Dukes Education, a group of independent nurseries, schools, and colleges in the UK, writes for Tes arguing the proposed framework offers “welcome and important changes”.

 

Ministers set aside £22.6m to help small school staff complete NPQs

 

The Government has set aside £22.6 million for the Targeted Support Fund to help small schools support their staff to complete free national professional qualifications (NPQs). The NPQs are open to all schools including independent schools. By James Carr, Schools Week.

Robin Walker, the minister for school standards, writes in Tes for National Thank a Teacher Day outlining why the Government believes a new pay offer and access to more NPQs can help drive a new perception of teaching in England.

 

It is right for schools to be included in the new children's social care proposals, says children’s commissioner

 

In an article for Tes, Dame Rachel de Souza, the children’s commissioner for England, welcomes proposals to bring schools more closely into the social care system. She writes that “schools play an integral role in safeguarding and protecting children in need and, for too long, the voice of education has been missing from multi-agency safeguarding arrangements".

 
Tes

"While there is inequality in the world, there will always be a place for girls-only education"

 

Independent Education Today interviews Rosie McColl, head of Brighton Girls, on headship and girls-only education. Ms McColl says: "Our aim is to create an environment in which girls can flourish, and we do this by providing a safe space for them to discover their passions and develop their strengths, alongside teachers who are experts in understanding the pressures and the challenges of being a young woman in the world today."

 
IE Today

DfE to publish a handbook for schools on supporting pupil wellbeing

 

According to Schools Week, the Department for Education (DfE) has said it will publish a handbook for schools on how to use extracurricular activities to support pupils' wellbeing, after rejecting calls for all pupils to undergo a mental health and wellbeing assessment. By Samantha Booth.

 
Schools Week

Pupils launch petition calling for a ban on school uniforms in sex shops and porn

 

A group of teenage girls studying at Sandbach High School and Sixth Form College have launched a petition calling for the Government to ban school uniforms in both sex shops and pornography, after being subjected to sexual harassment in public spaces while wearing their school uniforms. By Maya Oppenheim, The Independent.

 
The Independent

Number of international university students set to rise by almost 50 per cent

 

The university admissions service, UCAS, has predicted that the number of foreign university students is set to increase by almost 50 per cent in five years following a renewed interest in living in the UK since COVID restrictions have lifted, with the NHS and English language listed as motivating factors. By Nicola Woolcock, The Times.

 
The Times

A closer look at the 93 Percent Club

 

The Times interviews Sophie Pender, founder of the 93 Percent Club, a social mobility charity for university students who did not attend an independent school.

 
The Times

 

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.

Sign-up to the email service is available on our website.

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.

Headlines and first-line summaries are written by the ISC with the link directing to the source material. You should read and comply with the terms and conditions of the websites to which we link.