Alex Hutchinson, head at James Allen’s Girls’ School, has spoken out in defence of single-sex education, saying all-girls’ schools are not a "relic of the past". Ms Hutchinson stressed that, while the number of single-sex schools has decreased, it is not inevitable that all schools will become fully co-educational, adding: "Girls' schools foster a lack of stereotyping and a genuine sense of individuality, where students are just as comfortable raising their hand in chemistry as they are on the hockey field." The article references figures from the Independent Schools Council (ISC). By Anna Davis, Evening Standard.

Nearly nine in 10 teachers have told Ofsted that increasing workload is a barrier to taking part in professional development and training, while a review by the watchdog has also warned that some of the training teachers receive is not of a high quality. By John Roberts, Tes.

In comments to a parliamentary committee, Lord Wharton of Yarm has said an excessive number of students, as many as one in three, were being awarded a first-class degree and has suggested universities could be investigated over the issue of grade inflation. Figures from the Office for Students (OfS) indicate the proportion of students achieving first-class degrees in England rose from 15.7 per cent in 2011 to 37.9 per cent in 2021, when universities were encouraged to be generous due to the pandemic's negative effects on the education system. By Nicola Woolcock, The Times.

A new NHS apprenticeship scheme designed to fix the growing staff crisis could see one in 10 doctors start work without a traditional medical degree, immediately after their A-levels. A third of nurses are also expected to be trained under the "radical new approach", which is the centrepiece of a long-delayed NHS workforce strategy. By Laura Donnelly, The Telegraph.

With exam season underway, academics at the University of Bath have been looking into the challenges and opportunities posed by artificial intelligence (AI) platforms such as ChatGPT and have concluded there are tell-tale signs that AI answers have not been written by a student. Along with many others universities, Bath's policy on ChatGPT and other AI tools is still being prepared. By Hazel Shearing and Shiona McCallum, BBC News.

Freedom of information requests submitted by the National Day Nurseries Association (NDNA) have revealed a number of local authorities in England have held back millions of pounds to offset deficits or add to reserves, prompting concerns that councils are failing to pass on government funding for free childcare places to early years providers. By Sally Weale, The Guardian.

Clinical psychologist and author Dr Tara Porter writes in Tes on the subject of high attainment in schools, offering advice to teachers following research that revealed attending a ‘high-achieving’ school can be a risk factor for mental health problems. Dr Porter says: "For many children, academic pressure is part of a complex web of factors that contributes to their mental ill-health."

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