ISC Daily News Summary

New attendance figures show 1.7 million pupils were out of school last week for COVID-related reasons, up from 1.5 million the week before. By Hannah Richardson and Jeanette Long, BBC News.

Union leaders have warned that schools are still being expected to carry out COVID contact tracing, despite updated guidance from the Department for Education (DfE) stating that the NHS would take over this week. By John Roberts, Tes.

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation has said there is an "urgent need to catch up on non-COVID-19 school immunisations", following a drop in the take-up of routine jabs during the pandemic. By Chris Smyth, The Times.

James Bowen, director of policy at the National Association of Head Teachers, writes in Tes about the importance of good ventilation in minimising the spread of COVID, adding: "The Government could and should play a far more active role in supporting schools to implement the safety measures it is recommending."

Sir Steve Lancashire, the outgoing leader of the country's biggest primary-only multi-academy chain, has called for schools to be able to decide how to lead the COVID education recovery effort, saying they have been "swamped" by bureaucracy and centralised management from the DfE. By John Roberts, Tes.

Marianne Levy writes in iNews reflecting on the impact COVID disruption has had on end of term events, stating: "Ending restrictions might be good for the economy, but childhood is not a commodity one can buy back."

New figures show more than 12,000 children in the UK have either been orphaned or lost a caregiver due to the pandemic. By Joe Pinkstone, The Telegraph.

A new report from the Social Mobility Commission outlines a series of proposals for how schools can tackle the attainment gap, which include replacing Sats with "an externally moderated digital portfolio of work". By Dave Speck, Tes.

Canford School has developed a new sleep programme intended to support pupils' mental, physical and emotional health, whilst also boosting their productivity and energy levels. By Julian Owen, IE Today. The article quotes Melissa Clinton, joint head of wellbeing at the school.

The Office for Students has confirmed it will reduce funding given to some university courses in the fields of music, performing arts and media - a cut described by the University and College Union as 'one of the biggest attacks on arts and entertainment in living memory'. By Zoe Tidman, The Independent.

Andy Bayfield, a teaching and learning leader at an international school in Malaysia, writes in Tes suggesting "the goals of international teachers should be to work with local educators to develop them, grow them and eventually become replaced by them".