ISC Daily News Summary

According to a survey carried out by education resource the Key, fewer than one in five schools in England are planning to run catch-up provision over the summer break because headteachers are worried about pupil and staff wellbeing. By Sally Weale, The Guardian.

A leading article in The Times calls on the education secretary to focus on exams and summer schools as a matter of urgency.

The latest pupil figures from the Department for Education show about 840,000 were off for COVID-related reasons last week. By Hannah Richardson, BBC News.

School leaders are raising concern over the prospect of pupils who come into contact with COVID cases next term being allowed back into school regardless of whether they have taken a PCR test. By John Roberts, Tes.

Research published by the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) has found that children are suffering from a range of COVID-related anxieties, including germ-phobia and a fear of failure. By Camilla Turner, The Telegraph.

Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), has told the Commons Education Select Committee that he expects schools will "see a huge number of appeals beyond the priority appeals" when grades are published. Tes.

Yvonne Williams, a head of English, writes in Tes questioning what schools are having to pay exam boards for this year.

Amal Hirani, deputy principal (Diploma programme) at Southbank International School, writes in Tes suggesting that this year's International Baccalaureate results demonstrate that its curriculum has withstood the turbulence caused by COVID more effectively than other qualifications due to the holistic way it uses assessment.

The Government has acknowledged that changes to next year’s exams cannot compensate for pupils’ divided experiences during the pandemic. By Tom Belger and James Carr, Schools Week.

Simon Lebus, interim chief regulator of Ofqual, has said there will have to be a "managed migration" back to the pre-pandemic grading system. By Camilla Turner, The Telegraph.

Sarah Eggleton, an assistant headteacher at a secondary school in Manchester, sets out how her school is taking steps to stamp out peer-on-peer sexual abuse and harassment. Tes.

Schools Week reports that BTECs will survive the Government’s Level 3 qualifications review if they can demonstrate there is a "real need" for them. By Fraser Whieldon.

Cressida Cowell, the Waterstones Children’s Laureate, has contributed to a new CBeebies Storytime app, which features stories that celebrate diversity and inclusivity to "better reflect the lives of all children from across the UK". By Adam Sherwin, iNews.