ISC Daily News Summary

The Guardian reports on the success of Whitgift School in Croydon, which has produced three Chelsea footballers over the years. Quotes Alistair Osborne, Whitgift’s director of sport. By Ed Aarons.

Findings by a team of academics from the UCL Institute of Education and Queen's University Belfast show nearly a third of pupils are misallocated to higher or lower maths sets. By Martin George, Tes.

Continuing this story, there are reports that the new research has raised questions as to the effectiveness of putting children in classes based on ability and that black pupils are two-and-a-half times more likely than white pupils to be misallocated to a lower maths set.

The Government has warned all UK secondary schools and colleges that pupils may have been exposed to asbestos from heatproof gauze mats, used with Bunsen burners as far back as 1976. By Harry Cockburn, The Independent.

According to analysis by the Labour Party, the number of infants being taught in class sizes of over 30 pupils has almost doubled since 2011. By Richard Vaughan, iNews.

Schools Week also reports on this story following comments from the shadow education secretary, Angela Rayner MP, that the proportion of pupils in classes of more than 30 remains “unsustainable”.

The Department for Education has warned school staff to “act appropriately” when expressing political views. By Freddie Whittaker, Schools Week.

Research has shown children living near green space and parkland have better spatial working memory - a trait strongly linked to academic performance. By Tom Whipple, The Times.

A report by Ipsos Mori for the Department for Education (DfE) found new teachers are ‘survey fatigued’ after receiving a a flood of documents before and after their training. By Jess Staufenberg, Schools Week.