Latymer Upper School has announced it will only be continuing with GCSE maths and English amid plans to create its own qualifications, which will be taught from 2027. Ian Emerson, deputy head at the school, told The Times he believes the move, which has been influenced by the pandemic, will better prepare pupils for A-levels. Reference is made to Bedales School, which is also moving away from GCSEs. By Nicola Woolcock. 

Children of Chinese ethnicity significantly outperform their white British peers, according to the Social Mobility Commission’s State of the Nation report on People and Places. Featuring a regional breakdown of social mobility prospects for the first time, the report has found Chinese pupils on free school meals outperform their counterparts from all other ethnicities – including white British – at age 11, and even perform better than the average pupil who is not on free school meals. By Gabriella Swerling, The Telegraph.

Girls’ happiness levels are at their lowest in 15 years because of worries over their appearance, online dangers and sexual harassment, according to the findings of Girlguiding's annual survey. Less than 20 per cent of respondents described themselves as very happy, down from 40 per cent in 2009, with 89 per cent saying they felt generally worried or anxious. By James Beal, The Times.

Analysis by new coalition Who’s Losing Learning? has revealed a sharp rise in school suspensions among disadvantaged children in England. For the first time, more than half of all suspensions in 2021-22 – the latest available figures from the Department for Education – involved pupils from poor backgrounds, who were 3.7 times more likely to be sent home than their peers. By Sally Weale, The Guardian.

A report from the House of Lords' Industry and Regulators Committee has warned that higher education providers in England have an "unhealthy dependency" on overseas students, to make up for frozen tuition fees and rising costs. It claims the "looming crisis" is failing to be addressed by ministers and the regulator, the Office for Students. By Vanessa Clarke, BBC News.

Writing in Tes, head of professional learning and growth at ACS International Schools Brianna Gray outlines the benefits of teacher residencies that enable new teachers to work closely with mentors. Ms Gray says: "The teacher lead, meanwhile, is also developing new skills and knows they are having a positive impact on a wider group of students."

In a blog to mark National Positive Thinking Day, headmaster at RGS The Grange Gareth Hughes explains why positivity is a key part of the school's ethos and how it is encapsulated in different methods of learning across all ages.

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