ISC Daily News Summary

John Swinney, Scotland's education secretary, has confirmed National 5 exams are to be cancelled next year and replaced with "teacher judgement supported by assessment". BBC News.

Tes reports MPs are set to debate whether the content of next year's exams should be reduced, after more than 146,000 people signed a petition urging the Government not to penalise pupils for missing out on face to face teaching during lockdown. By Catherine Lough.

New study findings point to a link between depression in teenagers and underachievement at GCSE, prompting some researchers to suggest pupils should be allowed to stagger or postpone their exams. By Hannah Richardson, BBC News.

According to a reanalysis of Imperial University coronavirus modelling, school closures and blanket social distancing may have cost more lives than if some level of immunity had been allowed to build up in the young. By Sarah Knapton, The Telegraph.

Lee Elliot Major, professor of social mobility at the University of Exeter, and Stephen Machin, professor of economics at the London School of Economics, write in The Guardian arguing coronavirus "has exposed the inequalities that divide contemporary Britain".

Matt Payne, head of Lower School at Nord Anglia International School New York, shares an insight into how the school implemented its catch-up curriculum to help close the learning gap brought on by lockdown. Tes.

Yvonne Williams, head of English and drama in a secondary school in the south of England, considers whether school open days are putting teachers at risk of contracting coronavirus. Tes.

A report from the Information Commissioner's Office has found the Department for Education (DfE) failed to comply with sections of the general data protection regulation in its handling of millions of pupil records. By Richard Adams, The Guardian.

A report from the National Foundation for Educational Research has revealed people who identify as black, Asian and/or minority ethnic (BAME) make up just 3.5 per cent of the school governance population.

The BBC has pledged to consider "a more diverse range of candidates" for roles as it overhauls its recruitment process. By Anita Singh, The Telegraph.

According to a report conducted by the Bridge Group, a social diversity consultancy, 53 per cent of partners at 10 law firms in the Square Mile were educated at independent schools. By Jonathan Ames, The Times.

The Made By Dyslexia charity is planning to train teachers to identify the "natural strengths" of children with dyslexia. The charity has already developed an online teacher training programme in partnership with Millfield School. By Nicola Woolcock, The Times.

Academics have found evidence to suggest musically trained children perform better at attention and memory recall, disputing a study which concluded music lessons do not improve cognitive skills. By Nicola Woolcock, The Times.

New research findings suggest cutting air pollution levels outside schools by 20 per cent could improve a child's working memory by six per cent, amounting to an extra four weeks of learning time per year. By Will Hazell, iNews.

The Mail lists the winners and nominees of this year's Tatler Schools Awards. By Stephanie Linning.