The Times reports a number of independent schools are opening up remote learning opportunities to students from around the world. Winchester College and Charterhouse recently launched remote lessons to attract pupils who might be home-educated or from overseas, while Eton College already offers online learning via EtonX, and Harrow School Online saw its first A-level cohort sit exams last summer. By Nicola Woolcock. The article quotes Heather Rhodes, the founding principal of Harrow School Online, and Jesse Elzinga, headmaster of Sevenoaks School.

Heads from a number of state boarding schools have told Tes they are facing “new and distinct challenges” due to a “collision” of factors, including rising prices, Brexit and changes to working arrangements after the pandemic. As a result, some are adapting their traditional boarding offer to include wraparound care and flexible bed and breakfast options. Robin Fletcher, CEO of the Boarding Schools’ Association, is quoted. By Callum Mason, Tes.

Talks between teaching unions and the Department for Education (DfE) started on Friday, as prime minister Rishi Sunak is preparing to make new concessions to bring an end to months of public sector strikes. By Heather Stewart, Kiran Stacey, Richard Adams and Rachel Hall, The Guardian.

Schools and trusts are reportedly planning to use the money saved from the pay of teachers who take industrial action to buy iPads for staff, fund energy bill rises and plug deficits. The wages of teachers who take action is usually deducted at a rate of 1/365th of their annual salary for every day they walk out. By Freddie Whittaker, Schools Week.

Tens of thousands of staff at 150 universities across the UK are walking out again today in a dispute over pay, working conditions and pension cuts, despite hopes of a breakthrough in talks. BBC News.

Educate & Celebrate, a sex education charity that teaches pupils how to “break” gender binary beliefs, has been accused of falsely claiming to be endorsed by Ofsted. It has recently taken down reference to Ofsted from its website after it was asked to do so by the school inspectorate, according to a spokesman for Ofsted. By Louisa Clarence-Smith, The Telegraph.

The Telegraph features an interview with a mother who believes her child’s gender dysphoria and decision to come out as transgender during the pandemic were influenced by school sex education lessons. By Louisa Clarence-Smith.

Teachers and school leaders have told iNews that Andrew Tate is still very popular with many school-age boys. Since his arrest, fan-made clips of Mr Tate continue to circulate widely on TikTok and YouTube, even though he does not have his own account on either platform. By Connie Dimsdale. The Times reports that boys are learning about how to strip away the “burdensome armour” of masculinity as schools address misogyny, amid warnings from equality advisers that boys’ emotional growth has been stunted by COVID lockdowns and the rise 'toxic influencers' such as Andrew Tate. By James Beal.

A Teacher Tapp survey of teachers, carried out on behalf of Bett and published today, has found only nine per cent of teachers are confident that students will be safer online following the introduction of the new Online Safety Bill. A third of respondents said they did not know enough about the Bill. By Matilda Martin, Tes.

Professor Jason Leitch, the Scottish Government’s national clinical director, has admitted to making “missteps” during the COVID crisis and said some decisions, including the closure of classrooms, may have been a mistake. By Daniel Sanderson, The Telegraph.

PwC is considering revamping its recruitment and training schemes for the “lockdown cohort” of students whose education was interrupted during the pandemic when many did not take exams under usual conditions. The accountancy firm is considering tailoring its hiring process to make it less imposing for such candidates. By Jill Treanor and Jack Clover, The Sunday Times.

Nursery and preschool owners have warned the chancellor that the Government's plan to expand free childcare will “absolutely guarantee” the closure of more nurseries, the departure of staff and a reduction in places if there is not a substantial increase in the funding behind it. By Michael Savage, The Observer.

BBC News considers whether chancellor Jeremy Hunt's proposed childcare reforms are feasible. By Vanessa Clarke.

Dr Mike McKean, vice-president of policy for the Royal College of Paediatricians and Child Health, has warned that vapes should be regulated like cigarettes in order to help stop the “epidemic” of teenage vaping. By Andrew Ellson, The Times.

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