ISC Daily News Summary

As part of a national campaign to boost social mobility, more than 60 independent school headteachers affiliated with the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference (HMC) have pledged to ask their contacts to give careers talks to students in state schools. By Will Hazell, iNews. The article quotes Mike Buchanan, executive director of the HMC.

Writing in The Guardian, Laura McInerney argues extreme education policies may be "feeding the anxious political climate", adding plans to abolish independent schools "will make no difference in most deprived areas".

The Queen's Speech, delivered yesterday, laid out the Government's education proposals. These include the 'levelling up' of per-pupil school funding, the expansion of free schools and an increase in funding for complex special educational needs. By Dave Speck, Tes.

New figures suggest more than a fifth of school leavers intend to apply for an apprenticeship, with 41 per cent of parents believing an apprenticeship is the best option for their child. By Matt Oliver, Daily Mail. The article is featured on This is Money, the financial website and money channel of the Mail Online.

Speaking at the Cheltenham Literature Festival, Andrew Lloyd Webber criticised successive governments for cutting arts and music budgets in schools, arguing music can be used to transform struggling schools. By Richard Marsden, Daily Mail.

A report published by Unicef has warned of "food swamps" in deprived areas of the UK, where children "disproportionately exposed" to fast food outlets struggle to access healthy food. ITV News.

Campaigners are saying more needs to be done in schools and other public sector institutions to prevent sexual harassment and sexual violence. By Sally Weale, The Guardian.

According to a report published by Ofsted, inadequate special needs provision or a breakdown in relations between parents and schools are some of the key factors prompting more people to home school their children. By Rosemary Bennett, The Times.