ISC Daily News Summary

Findings from a Tes survey suggest that 59 per cent of teachers do not think that GCSEs should be scrapped following the pandemic. By Catherine Lough. The article quotes Sarah Fletcher, high mistress of St Paul's Girls' School and a member of the Rethinking Assessment group.

According to The Sunday Times, ministers in Scotland are considering plans to abolish standardised testing for all primary school pupils in the country. By John Boothman.

Lindsay Paterson, professor of education policy at Edinburgh University, writes in The Sunday Times arguing the OECD's review of Scottish education "is critical but fails to offer a good alternative to assessments".

Tens of thousands of pupils in England are being sent home to self-isolate, as COVID cases among young people rise to their highest level since January. By Sian Griffiths and Tom Calver, The Sunday Times.

New figures show that more than 93,000 children were mostly absent from school between September and December last year, an increase of more than 50 per cent on the previous year. By John Reynolds, The Times.

An editorial piece in The Telegraph describes the mass COVID testing system in schools as "senseless and unsustainable".

Some scientists have warned that UK children over the age of 12 must be vaccinated "as soon as possible" in order to reach the herd immunity threshold needed to suppress the Delta variant. By Samuel Lovett, The Independent.

IE Today features an article considering what enrolment figures for independent schools will look like post-COVID. By Luke Dormehl. The article quotes Julie Robinson, chief executive of the Independent Schools Council (ISC), and the heads of several schools in membership of the ISC's constituent associations.

Sarah Robertson, director of education and professional practice at the Royal Society of Chemistry, has warned that the closure of school labs could impact the science talent pipeline "for many years to come". By Claudia Civinini, Tes.

Jason Leitch, the national clinical director for Scotland, has suggested that the 10 day self-isolation rule could be scrapped to prevent further disruption to the lives of schoolchildren. By Marc Horne, The Times.

Eton College has formed a partnership with Star Academies to open three selective state sixth forms in deprived northern areas. By Nicola Woolcock, The Times. The article quotes Simon Henderson, headmaster at the school. A separate article in The Times explores the aims behind the project in more detail.

Equalities minister Kemi Badenoch writes in The Telegraph arguing the term 'white privilege' is "careless and divisive", adding: "The phrase should not be taught in schools unless it is explained that it is also contentious."

Zoe Beaty writes in The Sunday Times exploring some of the challenges facing white working class pupils, in light of recent report from the Education Select Committee.

Nicholas Hewlett, headmaster of St Dunstan's College, has warned that teachers have become "incredibly anxious" about committing micro-aggressions, claiming there is now "a righteous generation of children looking for their teachers to trip up". Mr Hewlett has set up working parties among pupils and teachers to consider changes such as establishing acceptable race terminology at the school. By Sian Griffiths and Tom Calver, The Sunday Times. The article also quotes Gavin Horgan, headmaster of Millfield School.

According to a survey by YouGov, 65 per cent of Britons think that going to university is unaffordable - a higher proportion than in other European countries. By Will Hazell, iNews.

Judy Murray, a tennis coach and mother of Andy and Jamie Murray, has warned that Britain's next generation of athletes are being held back by school sports days with no winners or losers. By Simon Johnson, The Telegraph.