ISC Daily News Summary

According to a survey by Tes, one in four teachers have been put under pressure by parents to raise students' grades or change the evidence going towards their GCSE and A-level grades, while a third have reported feeling pressured by students. By Catherine Lough. The article quotes Barnaby Lenon, chairman of the Independent Schools Council, and a spokesperson for the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference.

Simon Lebus, Ofqual's interim chief regulator, has said appeals over this year's grades will have a "very high" threshold to meet. By Samantha Booth, Schools Week.

Kester Brewin, who has taught mathematics across a variety of schools for the past 20 years, writes in Tes arguing teachers should not be blamed for "inevitable" grade inflation this year.

Michelle Meadows, Ofqual's executive director for strategy, risk and research, has outlined four potential advantages of moving exams online. By Catherine Lough, Tes.

The Scottish Qualifications Authority has extended the deadline to submit priority appeals from 16 August to 24 August, after teachers voiced concerns that the previous deadline would have interfered with their summer holiday. By Emma Seith, Tes.

According to The Telegraph, experts on the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation are expected to advise against rolling out COVID vaccines to children until scientists obtain more data on the risks. By Laura Donnelly and Robert Mendick.

Cristina Odone, head of the Family Policy Unit at the Centre for Social Justice, writes in The Telegraph about the debate over vaccinating children for COVID-19.

Rose Hardy, headmistress at Haberdashers' Aske's School for Girls, writes in Independent Schools Magazine arguing the post-COVID curriculum must "prepare young people for the fast-paced modern world". A separate article in the magazine takes a look at this year's ISC Census findings, which show the independent sector has remained resilient despite the disruption caused by the pandemic.

Schools Week summarises how the delay to "Freedom Day" will impact on schools. By James Carr.

iNews explores whether paying for tutoring to help children catch up on lost learning is the right of hard-working parents, or an unfair advantage. By Gwyneth Rees.

Jo Dunbar writes in The Telegraph about how the pandemic is changing some parents' attitudes towards extra-curricular activities.

Official figures from the Scottish Government show the gap between the number of wealthy and poor school leavers in Scotland going to university has widened, as teenagers struggled to find work after school during the pandemic. By Simon Johnson, The Telegraph.

Chief inspector Amanda Spielman has pushed back against a proposal to remove safeguarding from Ofsted's remit, arguing the inspectorate could do more with increased funding. By Freddie Whittaker, Schools Week.

Amanda Spielman, Ofsted's chief inspector, has said girls should not have to wear shorts under their uniform to protect against upskirting, adding: "I think it's really important that we don't slide into a national culture that is essentially victim blaming." The Telegraph.

Writing for Attain, John Towers, headmaster of Homefield Preparatory School, explains how the school has established a bursary programme to help children in care, and outlines how other schools can do the same. Mr Towers also discusses the subject on Attain's Fresh Thinking podcast.

According to new curriculum guidance published by the National Association of Teachers of Religious Education, children aged 8-11 should be taught about the "key concept" of white privilege. By Ewan Somerville, The Telegraph.

Dame Sharon White, chairwoman of the John Lewis Partnership, has said that it has to provide basic literacy and numeracy classes for many of its new 16-year-old recruits, who she claims have been "completely failed" by the education system. By Emma Yeomans and Rachel Sylvester, The Times.