ISC Daily News Summary

Yesterday evening the Government published a list of roles considered to be those of "key workers", along with further clarification on which children are "vulnerable". It has also been confirmed that children will be able to go to school even if just one parent or carer is a "critical worker". By Freddie Whittaker, Schools Week. An article in Tes highlights comments from education secretary Gavin Williamson that schools remaining open will not follow the national curriculum, but will instead provide a safe place for those children affected. By Catherine Lough.

Tes offers a guide to some of the key technologies schools and teachers will need as they prepare to educate their pupils remotely. By Dan Worth.

School leaders are working within their local communities to provide disadvantaged students with free school meals. By Samantha Booth, Schools Week.

iNews reports the Government is expected to detail today how GCSE and A-level results will be awarded in England after this year's exams were cancelled. By Will Hazell.

Scottish education secretary John Swinney has confirmed exams in Scotland will be cancelled this year for the first time in history. BBC News. Peter Weir, Northern Ireland's education secretary, has said A-levels and GCSEs will not go ahead in the summer, but pupils will still receive "fair, equitable results that reflect their hard work". BBC News.

The Times reports headteachers have called on the Government to integrate some form of testing into the revised exam assessment model to ensure fairness and motivate pupils to study hard over the next few months. By Rosemary Bennett.

Questions have been raised over the impact of cancelled exams on university admissions, with vice-chancellors warning A-level predicted grades are wrong "four out of five times". By Camilla Turner and Gordon Rayner, The Telegraph.

The organisations designing the first three T-levels have called on the Government to delay their launch until September 2021. By Billy Camden, Schools Week.

Tes reports trainee teachers will still gain their Qualified Teacher Status if they are unable to complete their mandatory 24 weeks of school training. By Catherine Lough.

As part of a new guide for parents called 'The Great Indoors', the Scouts have compiled more than a hundred activities designed to help children develop new life skills while self-isolating at home. By Camilla Tominey, The Telegraph.

A new report has found a third of university students dropped out due to poor mental health. Almost half of respondents said they dropped out because they chose the wrong course, and 45 per cent said they believe their career has been harmed as a result of not completing their studies. By Richard Jenkins, The Independent.

Writing in Tes, author and former teacher Alex Quigley argues there is too much emphasis on teaching spelling and grammar in schools, adding a more balanced approach to teaching writing is needed to help pupils flourish in all secondary subjects.