ISC Daily News Summary

The Orwell Award bursary, launched in The Sun on Sunday, will be offered to students at non-selective state schools and will cover all boarding costs. By Claire O'Reilly and Ben Griffiths, The Sun. The article quotes head of Eton College, Simon Henderson.

Lord Lexden, former general secretary of the Independent Schools Council, writes in The Telegraph highlighting historical examples of independent schools sponsoring boarding places for children. He says independent schools want to do more, adding: "There exists today immense potential for cooperation if the new prime minister is interested." The letter can be found halfway down the page.

Tes features a profile piece on Sue Hincks, president of the Girls' School Association and head of Bolton School Girls' Divison. In it she highlights the reasons why a single-sex school is better for her pupils, saying girls can benefit from a curriculum tailored to their gender. By John Roberts.

In an interview with Sunday Politics West, Isabel Tobias, head of Redmaids' High School, argued closing independent schools would result in more financial strain on the state sector. She added independent schools should not be considered "bastions of privilege" but as "places where people can exercise choice". The episode can be viewed here, with the clip starting at 18:55.

Mike Buchanan, executive director of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference, has said the perceived difficulty of language GCSEs is discouraging students from taking them, and this must be addressed to prevent these subjects from dying out. By Camilla Turner, The Telegraph.

According to new data, prep schools have lost 3,000 pupils in one year, with the overall pupil number figure falling to its lowest in six years. By Rosemary Bennett, The Times.

Almost all banks and building societies now include school fees in their mortgage affordability calculations, categorising them as a fixed outgoing. The Sunday Times warns of the impact this could have on the amount parents with children in independent schools are able to borrow. By Kate Palmer.

Writing in The Telegraph, Simon Heffer draws upon findings from the social mobility report "Elitist Britain 2019", arguing government initiatives are needed to bring cricket back to state schools.