ISC Daily News Summary

MPs on the Education Select Committee were told yesterday that some headteachers are receiving "threatening letters" from parents who object to their children wearing face masks in school. By Nigel Morris, iNews.

Speaking to The Telegraph, an anonymous mother-of-two explains why her son will not be wearing a face mask in the classroom. By Jack Rear. In a separate article, Mac Morton, a 15-year-old student, argues mask-wearing has had a negative impact on pupils' ability to socialise with one another. The Telegraph.

The Department for Education (DfE) has said that positive COVID-19 cases identified by lateral flow tests in school do not need a follow-up PCR test to confirm the result, and that pupils must continue to self-isolate. By James Carr, Schools Week.

The Association of School and College Leaders has claimed up to 250,000 pupils may be forced to self-isolate unnecessarily due to false positive lateral flow test results. By Catherine Lough, Tes.

Tes reports the DfE has not yet fulfilled its pledge to deliver 1.3 million laptops and tablets to disadvantaged children. By Amy Gibbons.

Parents of secondary school pupils in Scotland have expressed concerns that their children could spend as little as half a day in the classroom each week until after Easter. By Helen Puttick, The Times.

Simon Lebus, Ofqual's interim chief regulator, told the Education Select Committee yesterday that pupils will have an opportunity to challenge their teachers if they feel the evidence being used to calculate their grades "doesn't accurately reflect the best of their ability". By Nicola Woolcock, The Times.

BBC News reports parents have been urged not to put teachers under pressure or make them feel "uncomfortable" over grading decisions. By Katherine Sellgren.

Simon Lebus has suggested that adaptations will have to be made to the 2022 exam series to account for pupils' learning loss. By Zoe Tidman, The Independent. Schools Week summarises key takeaways from the Education Select Committee. By Samantha Booth.

A new report has warned that thousands of pupils who planned to take exams for community languages, which are often not taught at school, may miss out on GCSE and A-level grades this summer. By Zoe Tidman, The Independent.

Labour has warned that larger class sizes could create challenges for teachers trying to provide individualised support and attention to pupils, as findings show the number of secondary school students taught in classes of 31 or more has surged over the last decade. Tes.