ISC Daily News Summary

Schools minister Nick Gibb has indicated that face masks may no longer be required in England's classrooms after 17 May. By Will Hazell, iNews.

Speaking to MPs on the Education Select Committee yesterday, Nick Gibb said it is "intuitive" to consider extending the school day to help children catch up on their learning. By Zoe Tidman, The Independent.

The National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) has said the National Tutoring Programme "needs to ramp up significantly" to reach enough pupils, as figures show just one per cent of children have so far received learning support through the scheme. By Will Hazell, iNews.

Dame Rachel de Souza, the children's commissioner, has urged teachers not to "panic" children over how far they have fallen behind in their learning during the pandemic. By Dave Speck, Tes.

According to a report from Renaissance Learning, children read longer, more challenging books during lockdown periods last year. By Alison Flood, The Guardian.

Ian Bauckham, the chair of Ofqual, has said it is likely that GCSE and A-level appeals "will take longer to process than in normal years". By Catherine Lough, Tes.

According to a survey commissioned by Ofqual, trust in GCSEs dropped to just 27 per cent following last year's exams controversy. By Samantha Booth, Schools Week.

The NAHT has said teachers need "real clarity" by the end of this term on what next year's exams will look like. Tes.

Harry de Quetteville writes in The Telegraph questioning whether independent schools are a worthwhile investment for families.

Some academics have contested evidence cited by Nick Gibb to support mobile phone bans in schools, claiming the study revealed an "insignificant" impact on pupils' test scores. By Freddie Whittaker, Schools Week.

Paul Whiteman, general secretary of the NAHT, has called on ministers to "come clean" about changes to pupil premium funding and "repay all that they have taken from school budgets in this way". By Richard Adams and Robyn Vinter, The Guardian.

Kate Griggs, founder of the charity Made By Dyslexia, writes in The Times calling on the Government to introduce compulsory training for teachers on how to identify and support children with dyslexia.

A new report from the Education Policy Institute has found that Scotland has the best-funded education system in the UK, with the lowest pupil-teacher ratio and highest starting salary for teachers out of all four nations. By Emma Seith, Tes.