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Daily News Summary
18 May 2023

'We’re just normal people with normal jobs who want a better education for their children'
SATs reading paper revealed amid row over difficulty
A closer look at independent school pupils and Oxbridge admissions
‘Talk, talk, talk about your feelings’
YouTube algorithm pushes violent videos at children, report finds
Part-time inspectors not quitting Ofsted, watchdog's director says
Prioritse all literacy difficulties, not just dyslexia, urges expert
Do not over-rely on fees of students from China, English universities warned

'We’re just normal people with normal jobs who want a better education for their children'

 

iNews interviews a number of parents who have chosen to send their children to independent schools but fear an increase in fees, resulting from Labour's tax plans, would mean they will have to move to the state sector. One mother explains that her son would be “devastated” if he had to leave Newcastle School for Boys and that, despite coming from a working-class family that votes Labour, this issue may change how she votes in future. Another parent speaks of the significant financial sacrifices made by his family: "I am somebody that has sacrificed pretty much everything that a person who works hard would normally enjoy and redirected those funds into my children’s education." The article references research commissioned by the Independent Schools Council (ISC), which estimates that 90,000 pupils would have to leave the sector if Sir Keir Starmer's proposals came to fruition. By Callum Mason.

 
iNews

SATs reading paper revealed amid row over difficulty

 

Details of last week's Year 6 SATs reading paper have been published, following claims by some teachers and parents that it it was so tough it left children "in tears". The Department for Education (DfE) said the tests were "rigorously trialled" but the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) has argued that even staff "had to really think" about the answers. By Hazel Shearing, BBC News.

 
BBC

A closer look at independent school pupils and Oxbridge admissions

 

Writing in The Times, Helen Kirwan-Taylor claims some fee-paying parents are sending their children to state sixth forms to increase their chances of getting a place at Oxbridge. This follows recent reports that independent school pupils are up to a third more likely to get accepted into Cambridge University if they move to a state sixth form.

 
The Times

‘Talk, talk, talk about your feelings’

 

As Mental Health Awareness Week continues, teaching assistant Johanna Robinson discusses the many ways Springmead School supports pupils with their mental health, and why it is so important to encourage children to talk about how they feel.

 
ISC

YouTube algorithm pushes violent videos at children, report finds

 

A report by Tech Transparency Project, US watchdog group, has found YouTube's algorithm is recommending violent content including guns and firearms to children who watch clips about video games. By George Sandeman, The Times.

 
The Times

Part-time inspectors not quitting Ofsted, watchdog's director says

 

Chris Russell, Ofsted‘s national director for education, has said part-time inspectors are not leaving the inspectorate, despite widespread calls for them to do so. Addressing delegates at the Schools & Academies Show, Mr Russell said: “Ultimately it’s for individuals to decide what they think is most appropriate. Our experience is people aren’t doing that.” By Amy Walker, Schools Week.

Mr Russell has also indicated that schools will be given more of a steer on when inspections will take place. He said the Covid pandemic created increased uncertainty regarding the timings of inspection, with “outstanding”-rated schools “on tenterhooks” with “no idea” about when they will next be visited. By John Roberts, Tes.

 

Prioritse all literacy difficulties, not just dyslexia, urges expert

 

Maggie Snowling, a world-leading expert in reading and language difficulties and emeritus professor in psychology at Oxford University, speaks to Tes about why she is championing lesser-known literacy difficulties that, she says, often “get missed”. By Clare Cook.

 
Tes

Do not over-rely on fees of students from China, English universities warned

 

The Office for Students (OfS) has warned universities against over-reliance on tuition fees of students from China, as prime minister Rishi Sunak backtracked on his earlier pledge to close UK branches of the Beijing-sponsored Confucius Institute. By Sally Weale and Ben Quinn, The Guardian.

 
The Guardian

 

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.

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