ISC Daily News Summary

Ofqual has advised headteachers to keep records of instances where teachers feel pressured to submit predicted grades that are "higher than the evidence supports". The watchdog has also warned that children could be disqualified for malpractice if their parents attempt to interfere with the grading process. By Camilla Turner, The Telegraph.

Tes summarises Ofqual's final guidance for schools on how to grade this year's GCSEs and A-levels. By Amy Gibbons.

School Leaders Scotland, an association for secondary school leaders in Scotland, has said it "completely rejects" proposals to place the responsibility of handling appeals on schools and colleges this year. By Emma Seith, Tes.

According to a survey of school and council leaders, educational inequalities have "mushroomed" during the pandemic, leading to a need for "intensive, holistic, joined-up support for families at risk and those who are potentially vulnerable". By Richard Adams, The Guardian.

A new report has concluded that the Department for Education "did not do enough to support children and young people with SEND during COVID-19". By Amy Gibbons, Tes.

An article in The Telegraph explores the ethical questions around giving children COVID-19 vaccines. By Laura Donnelly.

BBC News explores the impact of the pandemic on young people's job aspirations. By Sean Coughlan.

John Swinney, Scotland's education secretary, has said there is a "certain amount of uncertainty" around the return of all secondary pupils after Easter. By Katrine Bussey, The Times. Mr Swinney has also said he is "nervous about the concept of education catch-up", as feedback from teachers suggests "young people have actually learned a great deal" during the pandemic. By Emma Seith, Tes.

Speaking to Naga Munchetty on BBC Radio 5, Helen Pike, master of Magdalen College School in Oxford, explains how the school is working to support and educate pupils about sexual harassment and violence, after allegations of abuse in schools were uploaded to the Everyone's Invited website. The interview begins at 19:03. Ms Pike also discussed the issue on Times Radio with Mariella Frostrup. Listen from 00:40:11.

Annabel Heseltine writes in The Telegraph in response to concerns about the increasing number of independent schools being purchased by Chinese investors, arguing it is "best to embrace and accept that the Chinese are here to stay, to take the best of what they have to offer but remain strong through the power of knowledge".

Speaking to The Guardian, several black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) teachers describe the discrimination they have faced in schools. By Nazia Parveen and Niamh McIntyre. In a separate article, a number of pupils share their experiences of racism. By Nazia Parveen and Tobi Thomas.

Freia Schulz, an educational psychologist, writes in The Guardian calling for measures to be taken to confront "the deep-rooted and continuing institutional racism in our schools".

According to analysis from The Guardian, exclusion rates for black Caribbean pupils in English schools are up to six times higher than those of their white peers in some areas. By Niamh McIntyre, Nazia Parveen and Tobi Thomas.

According to a new report from UCAS, 20 per cent of UK students could not take their first choice degree course because they had not picked the right subjects, and 40 per cent of students could have made better decisions if they had more information. By Nicola Woolcock, The Times.