According to The Telegraph, teaching unions are planning to co-ordinate strikes to close 'as many schools as possible', with ballots set to close this week. If the threshold required for industrial action is reached, teachers will be the next major public sector group to strike. By Camilla Turner, Laura Donnelly and Louisa Clarence-Smith.

The Observer reports that school closures in February and March will mean the biggest shutdown ‘for years’ if the unions ballot for action this week. The National Education Union’s (NEU) general secretary, Kevin Courtney, has said action by its members alone would be enough to cause many schools to close. By Toby Helm.

The Sunday Times featured an interview with Gillian Keegan, who is meeting the teaching unions today to discuss their threat of strikes. The education secretary spoke of her concerns about the ‘impact of industrial action on a generation of children whose schooling has already been disrupted by COVID’. By Caroline Wheeler.

The Scottish Government has said there is "potential scope for compromise" after having talks with teaching unions in an attempt to prevent further strike action. The Scottish Negotiating Committee for Teachers (SCNT) is meeting today to discuss options on pay deals. BBC News.

Dr Ben Calvert, vice-chancellor of the University of South Wales, has warned that students are increasingly failing exams after inflated A-level grades during the pandemic helped them gain a university place. Barnaby Lenon, chairman of the Independent Schools Council (ISC), called for regulators to fully return to pre-COVID exam conditions last summer, saying: “It is important to see inflation come down because inflated grades give a false impression of a pupil’s knowledge and understanding. This can lead them to take courses for which they are inadequately equipped.” By Louisa Clarence-Smith, The Telegraph.

An analysis of Department for Education (DfE) data by the Labour Party has found that of the 270,000 teachers who qualified in England between 2011 and 2020, more than 81,000 have since left the profession. Commenting on the figures, Bridget Phillipson, said: "This dangerous exodus of new teaching recruits could result in even greater teacher vacancies in years to come and ultimately to lower standards in our schools”, adding "Labour believes excellence is for everyone: that is why we will end tax breaks for private schools and use the money to recruit 6,500 new teachers." Conservative MPs argue the policy would simply cause some independent schools to close, and have accused the Labour Party leader of waging "class war". By Peter Walker, The Guardian.

In a letter to The Telegraph, Dr Katy Ricks, chief master of King Edward’s School, Birmingham, responds to the prime minister’s plan to make maths compulsory until age 18. Dr Ricks argues that sixth form pupils who graduate from International Baccalaureate (IB) schools "are the only students who can truly compete in the global workplace because they have maintained the breadth of study and skills development desired by many international employers in the 21st century”. The letter can be found three quarters of the way down the page.

John Edward, director of the Scottish Council of Independent Schools, has said single-sex independent schools in Scotland will "adapt practice accordingly in a way that best suits the pupils and matches regulatory requirements" in response to new laws allowing 16-year-olds to change their legal gender. By Alistair Grant, The Scotsman.

The Sunday Times explores the effect of the 'misogynistic philosophy' created by British influencer Andrew Tate, which, it reports, is still 'thriving' among his social media followers. The article references St Dunstan's College, where teachers have been having discussions with pupils and deconstructing articles about Mr Tate with older students. By Laith Al-Khalaf, Sian Griffiths and Megan Agnew.

A report by the Government has identified multiple safeguarding risks at “out-of-school settings” (OOSS) in England, including sports clubs, tuition centres and uniformed youth groups, prompting calls for ‘better oversight of the sector’. By Sally Weale, The Guardian.

A trial set up by the University of Exeter is aiming to boost the literacy of disadvantaged pupils who have fallen behind as a result of the COVID pandemic. Undergraduates at the university are being trained to tutor as part of a new pilot scheme, where they will be sent to schools to teach small groups in an attempt to plug learning gaps. By Sally Weale, The Guardian.

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