ISC Daily News Summary

BBC News reports early estimates of pupil attendance levels at primary schools in England range from 40 per cent to 70 per cent. By Sean Coughlan.

Survey findings show dozens of local authorities have advised schools not to reopen to more pupils, warning the Government's test and trace programme is not yet "robust enough" to reduce transmission of the virus in schools. By Amy Gibbons, Tes. An article in The Telegraph reports up to 550,000 primary school pupils were kept at home yesterday, with at least 54 councils advising schools not to reopen. By Tony Diver.

According to polling conducted by YouGov yesterday, 50 per cent of adults either "strongly oppose" or "somewhat oppose" the Government's approach to reopening schools. By Freddie Whittaker, Schools Week.

The Government's plan to have all primary pupils back in school by the end of June is under review, after ministers were warned it would be "logistically impossible" to achieve. By Camilla Turner and Gordon Rayner, The Telegraph.

iNews reports the Department for Education is developing measures "to ensure every child has the support they need, including over the summer". By Will Hazell and Nigel Morris.

The Telegraph reports on the measures some primary schools have in place to help stop the spread of coronavirus, including adapted nursery rhymes to encourage children to wash their hands regularly. By Helen Chandler-Wilde.

Ashdown House Preparatory School, an independent school in Sussex, has confirmed it will close at the end of term due to the "impact of the coronavirus". By John Dickens, Schools Week. The article quotes Julie Robinson, chief executive of the ISC, Tom Beardmore-Gray, chief executive of the Cothill Trust, and Victoria Smit, headmistress of HawleyHurst School.

According to Tes, very few teachers in Scotland returned to work yesterday, with many expected to wait until risk assessments and deep cleans have taken place. By Emma Seith.

A survey of 42,000 teaching assistants has found almost 60 per cent of respondents are "concerned" about not being able to support disadvantaged pupils in the usual way during lockdown. By Dave Speck, Tes.

The Times reports the High Court will test COVID-19 insurance policies, after some companies have expressed anger that their business interruption insurance policies are not paying out for disruption caused by the pandemic. By James Hurley.

Past and present black independent school students write to their schools urging them to stand up for their black students, 'listen to them, respect them and value them' in order to crack down on racism experienced in schools and more widely. The Independent.

Schools Week reports the Department for Education (DfE) is setting up a “rapid rebuttal unit”, which will aim to ensure misleading content running in the media or on social media is corrected before it misinforms the public. By Billy Camden.

Sarah Brighton, chief executive of Hope UK, a charity providing drug and alcohol education and training, writes in Tes warning schools to focus on tackling drug use following an increase in the number of reported cases.

Figures published by the Department for Education show that the absence rate for UK pupils rose from 4.3 per cent over the autumn term of 2018-19 to 4.93 per cent in 2019-20. By Catherine Lough, Tes.