ISC Daily News Summary

The Department for Education (DfE) has announced that schools will be offered a £200 "support grant" per entry to cover the costs of assessing private candidates for GCSEs and A-levels this year. By Samantha Booth, Schools Week.

Children in primaries four to seven have returned to classrooms in Scotland in the latest phase of school reopenings. BBC News.

Professor John Jerrim, of UCL's Institute of Education, has warned that England's standard pass at GCSE has devalued over time, equating to a "drop of more than one whole year of schooling". By Catherine Lough, Tes.

A separate article in Tes reports a new GCSE English language specification launching in September will not feature 19th century fiction extracts, and will instead focus on "real-world, applicable content". By Catherine Lough.

Dame Rachel de Souza, the new children’s commissioner for England, has said she will be “fearless” in representing children’s interests, beginning with the launch of a “once-in-a-generation” review into how to improve young people’s lives as they emerge from the pandemic. By Sean Coughlan, BBC News.

The Times reports de Souza has called for free school meals provision to be extended over the summer holiday. By Simon Murphy.

Speaking to Tes, Dame Rachel suggested Ofsted could benefit from a “different culture”, saying she was “frightened” by school inspections when she was a headteacher. By Dave Speck.

Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, has criticised the Government's "woeful U-turns and missteps" during the pandemic. Speaking at the union's virtual conference, he praised schools and colleges for "providing hope, educational continuity, vestiges of community cohesion and - in spadefuls - relentlessly optimistic leadership". By Zoe Tidman, The Independent.

Kirsty Williams, the education minister for Wales, has said teaching children about respect and consent in school will "create the societal change we need for the longer term", in the wake of the death of Sarah Everard. Under the new curriculum in Wales, children are to be taught about safe relationships with friends, partners, and family. BBC News.

For the first time, the National Cyber Security Centre has issued guidance to nurseries and childminders on how they can protect themselves from cyber-attacks. By Sean Coughlan, BBC News.

According to a poll commissioned by Teach the Future, seven in 10 UK teachers say they have not received adequate training to educate their pupils on climate change. By Will Hazell, iNews.