ISC Daily News Summary

Roger Taylor, the former chair of Ofqual, has said a "gross miscalculation about what was a reasonable, acceptable way to treat people" lay behind last year's exams crisis. By Zoe Tidman, The Independent.

Ofqual has confirmed that mandatory requirements for fieldwork in subjects such as GCSE and A-level geography will be lifted for the 2022 summer exams. By Catherine Lough, Tes.

According to a survey by the Pearson exam board, eight out of 10 teachers think exams should be taken throughout the year, and 78 per cent of teachers believe they should be given "more responsibility and autonomy" over summative assessment. By Samantha Booth, Schools Week.

Tes reports it will cost just £7 million to award national school qualifications in Scotland this year following the cancellation of exams, resulting in savings of around £18 million. By Emma Seith.

According to poll findings from the National Association of Head Teachers, more than two-thirds of school leaders in England support using tutors for catch-up, but just three per cent see the Government's National Tutoring Programme as a priority. By Richard Adams, The Guardian. Other findings from the survey suggest just two per cent of school leaders believe extending the school day should be prioritised to help children catch up on lost learning. Tes.

Families of children with special educational needs and disabilities have been left "exhausted" and "despairing" as a result of the pandemic, according to a report by Ofsted. By Sally Weale, The Guardian.

An interactive tool featured in The Telegraph provides a breakdown of schools with the highest number of successful Oxbridge applications. By Camilla Turner, Alex Clark and Claudia Rowan. A separate article in The Telegraph reports Trinity College at the University of Cambridge has accepted 22 pupils from Westminster School - the highest number that any Oxbridge college has made to one school over the last three years. By Camilla Turner, Alex Clark and Claudia Rowan.

A report from UCAS has found that the number of students disclosing a mental health condition in their university applications has risen by 450 per cent over a decade. Tes.

Wales' education minister, Jeremy Miles, has asked Estyn, the country's education watchdog, to hold a review into sexual harassment in schools. The request comes after 91 Welsh schools were named on the Everyone's Invited website. BBC News.

According to The Telegraph, the NHS is partnering with St John Ambulance to teach children resuscitation skills, after international footballer Christian Eriken's life was saved by CPR. By Laura Donnelly.

Johnny Lothian, headteacher at Morgan Academy in Dundee, writes in Tes explaining why his school has prioritised fundraising for a defibrillator.

Tom Bennett, a former teacher and the Department for Education's behaviour advisor for schools, writes in The Telegraph in support of banning mobile phones in schools, claiming they stand in the way of a school's duties to 'keep children safe, make sure all students are treated with dignity and to make sure they learn'.

According to new data from the environmental charity Global Action Plan, 27 per cent of UK schools are located in postcodes that exceed the World Health Organisation's (WHO) limits for fine particulate matter. By Zoe Tidman and Daisy Dunne, The Independent.