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Girls' schools and boys' schools to work together on tackling misogyny and sexual harassment
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Single-sex schools
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Addressing delegates at the Girls' Schools Association's (GSA) annual conference, headmistress of Wimbledon High School GDST Fionnuala Kennedy said girls’ schools will mix with boys’ schools in academic as well as social settings to address misogyny and sexual harassment. The school has instigated a charter with King’s College School (KCS), after pupils' experiences of sexual harassment were anonymously posted on the Everyone's Invited website. Alex Hutchinson, headmistress of James Allen’s Girls’ School, told The Telegraph that “collaboration days” are now held with the local boys' school for pupils aged 11 upwards. Carl Howarth, principal of Jersey College for Girls, is also quoted, warning of the “deeply sinister spread” of the “manosphere” in society. By Catherine Lough.
Just a quarter of classroom teachers feel confident about tackling issues related to equality for women and girls, compared to over a third of middle leaders and half of senior leaders, a survey of 500 staff at schools belonging to the GSA has found. Teachers also said they would like further support in discussing issues related to gender and sexism with parents of different religious or cultural backgrounds. Ms Kennedy and GSA's CEO Donna Stevens are both quoted in Independent School Management Plus.
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Children can change their gender identity at school if parents are told, government guidance expected to say
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Gender identity
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According to The Telegraph, ministers have decided against a ban on “social transitioning” at school – where pupils take on the name, pronoun or uniform of the opposite sex – after concluding it would not be legally possible to do so. However, the guidance for headteachers, which is expected in the coming weeks, is set to make it clear that sports teams, changing rooms and lavatories must be single-sex, meaning a boy who opts to identify as a girl will not be able to enter the girls’ bathrooms or play in a girls’ team (and vice versa). By Daniel Martin and Louisa Clarence-Smith.
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Female secondary heads earn almost £4,000 less a year on average than male peers, analysis suggests
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Recruitment and retention
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Analysis by unions and teaching experts suggests the gender pay gap between male and female secondary headteachers has grown to the widest point in 12 years. Published to mark Equal Pay Day UK, the findings show that, on average, women earned £3,908 less than men in 2022-23. By Matilda Martin, Tes.
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Eating disorders among young rise 15-fold since before Covid pandemic
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Health
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NHS figures suggest eating disorders among young people have jumped more than 15-fold since before the Covid pandemic, with one in every eight 17- to 19-year-olds now having an eating disorder, up from less than one in 100 in 2017. Among girls aged 17 to 19, the rate has risen to 20.8 per cent, while among boys is 5.1 per cent, prompting experts to warn "the impact of the pandemic cannot be understated". By Michael Searles, The Telegraph.
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Labour MP implores ministers to give exam mitigations to pupils at schools affected by RAAC
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RAAC
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Labour MP for the City of Durham Mary Foy has called for ministers to introduce a "one-off dispensation for pupils in Years 11 and 13" at schools affected by the reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) crisis. In total, 214 schools across England have been identified as containing the crumbling concrete so far, with the number expected to rise as more surveys are carried out. By Poppy Wood, iNews.
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'Knowing how to manage your money is an essential life skill'
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Teaching and learning
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Robin Walker, chair of the Commons Education Select Committee, writes in Tes on the importance of teaching children financial literacy. Mr Walker warns: "Missing out on this information may well affect people’s decision making for years to come."
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Balancing SEND and behaviour management
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SEND
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Writing in Tes, Luke Ramsden offers advice on how to adhere to the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) Code of Practice to support pupils with SEND, while balancing behaviour management. Mr Ramsden explains: "It is clear that a pupil’s SEND diagnosis does not mean behaviour management is not going to apply." Luke Ramsden is deputy head of an independent school and chair of trustees for the Schools Consent Project.
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A closer look at the Welsh government's plans to reduce school summer holidays
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Welsh education
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In a Guardian analysis, education editor Richard Adams considers plans by the Welsh government to reduce school summer holidays by one week. Mr Adams speaks to various experts on the possible impact for both pupils and staff, and explores what lies behind the original school holiday structure.
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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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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.
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