ISC Daily News Summary

Tes reports that the DfE is considering delaying the start of next term, with the Government expected to make an announcement today. By John Roberts and Amy Gibbons.

Concerns have been raised over the pressure school staff will be under to help carry out mass COVID testing on site next year. ASCL president Richard Sheriff has said: "I worry that schools are being asked to do too much when just staying open is a huge struggle." By John Roberts, Tes.

Ben Figgis, headmaster at Ardingly College, has written to The Times in support of prioritising teachers for vaccination now. The letter is the second on the page.

The Times reports that some schools in the London borough of Waltham Forest remain closed despite the Government demanding they should stay open. By Emma Yeomans. According to The Telegraph, the leader of Islington council has refused to rule out future school closures. By Camilla Turner.

A study published by Public Health Scotland has found there is no difference in the risk of hospitalisation between teachers and the general population, and that teachers are less likely to get severe COVID-19 than the rest of the population. By Simon Johnson, The Telegraph.

The general secretaries of the NAHT, ASCL and the NEU have issued a joint statement condemning a letter written by Gavin Williamson to the School Teachers’ Review Body, in which the education secretary said it was "right to temporarily pause pay awards for the majority of the public sector as we assess the impact COVID-19 has had on the wider economy and labour market". By James Carr, Schools Week.

Tes reports on a survey carried out by the Independent Association of Prep Schools, which looked at the effect of the pandemic on school sports. By Catherine Lough.

Education Select Committee chair Robert Halfon has written to Gavin Williamson asking how he plans to end grade inflation in the exams system "once you deem it is appropriate to do so". By Freddie Whittaker, Schools Week.

Kevin Stannard, director of innovation and learning at the Girls’ Day School Trust, writes in Tes about the DfE's plan to proceed with exams next year, asking: "If pressures become too great, though, wouldn’t it be better to cancel not just the exams but the awards themselves, leaving schools to report in their own way on a student’s progress?"

Kirsty Williams, Wales' education minister, has released details of the country's A-levels and GCSE assessment schedule. By Bethan Lewis, BBC News.

ISC chief executive Julie Robinson writes in Independent School Management Plus about the value of cross-sector partnerships, stating: "In this difficult era of COVID, Brexit and recession, it is all the more important that we work together to provide positive experiences and support for the nation’s children."

Civitas has produced a free speech ranking for universities after analysing institutions' policies as well as events and actions on campus. By Camilla Turner, The Telegraph.

Tes is inviting readers to put themselves to the test by taking its "bumper festive quiz". By John Cunnane.