ISC Daily News Summary

The Sunday Times reports teachers at Colfe's School are set to strike on Wednesday over changes to the Teachers' Pension Scheme, with other independent schools expected to follow suit. By Kate Palmer and Sian Griffiths. The article quotes Richard Russell, head of Colfe's School, Andrew Halls, head of King's College School in Wimbledon, Alpha Plus Group, which runs Wetherby Pre-Preparatory School, and Barnaby Lenon, chairman of the Independent Schools Council.

The Telegraph reports thousands of teachers are facing unexpected tax bills after inadvertently paying too much into their pensions. Figures obtained through a Freedom of Information request show 3,465 members of the Teachers' Pension Scheme breached their "annual allowance" in the 2018-19 tax year. By Jessica Beard.

Health secretary Matt Hancock has said the Government is looking at "all options" to limit the spread of coronavirus in Britain, after the number of diagnosed cases in the UK rose by a third. By Oliver Wright and Andrew Gregory, The Times.

The paper also reports schools and exam boards will draw up emergency contingency plans in case the coronavirus disrupts GCSE and A-level exams this summer. By Nicola Woolcock, Graeme Paton, Martyn Ziegler and Jonathan Ames.

John Claughton, a former independent school head and author of "Transforming young lives: Fundraising for bursaries", highlights the important work independent schools are doing to fund bursary places, arguing the sector must 'do more to support disadvantaged students'. Tes. The article mentions several schools in membership of the ISC's constituent associations.

The Telegraph reports on the increasing popularity of the 'privateschool' hashtag on video-sharing app TikTok, where privately-educated teenagers have taken to creating videos poking fun at stereotypes associated with independent schools. By Alice Hall.

Would any of your pupils be interested in writing a blog challenging independent school stereotypes? If so, please email [email protected] for further information.

The Guardian reports on the many thousands of people who took to the streets of Bristol to join a climate strike headed by Greta Thunberg. By Steven Morris. The article quotes Ed Thompson, a housemaster at Clifton College, who took overseas boarders aged 11-13 and the school's "green team" to the event.

Sally Collier, chief regulator of Ofqual, has advised schools to warn pupils not to be "distracted" by claims of exam paper leaks on social media sites, adding "sharing exam papers or questions, real or fake, could result in disqualification". By Freddie Whittaker, Schools Week.

Lisa Nandy, a candidate for the Labour leadership, outlines her proposals to increase teacher pay, boost school funding and make schools more accountable to their local authorities. Tes.

Luis Moreno, a modern foreign languages teacher who has taught in several international schools, offers suggestions for ways educators can teach their students remotely amid the coronavirus outbreak. Tes.