ISC Daily News Summary

According to a study by Oxford researchers, daily contact testing of school pupils is a safe alternative to home isolation, and could reduce school absences by up to 39 per cent. BBC News. An editorial piece in The Telegraph responds to the study findings, arguing: "A country in which the vulnerable are double-vaccinated and the rest of the adult population is fast catching up should not still be using isolation as a blunt lockdown tool at all."

Oak National Academy, a virtual school set up during the pandemic, is to remain open for at least two more terms amid a rise in the number of pupils self-isolating. By Zoe Tidman, The Independent.

The University and College Union has called for all students to be fully vaccinated by September, as part of efforts to prevent universities from being "incubators for COVID-19 all over again". By Sally Weale, The Guardian.

Schools minister Nick Gibb has outlined plans for grading reviews and the provisional process for next year's GCSEs and A-levels, adding that evidence checking for this year's grades "is almost complete". By Amy Gibbons, Tes.

A number of UK sports stars are urging schools to open up their playing fields and sports facilities over the summer as part of efforts to tackle Britain's obesity epidemic. By Laura Donnelly, The Telegraph. A commentary piece written by Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson and Iron Man John McAvoy can be found below the article.

New analysis from the Institute for Fiscal Studies has found that teacher pay levels for experienced staff will be eight per cent lower in real terms since 2007, after the Government announced a pay freeze in England. By Joe Middleton, The Independent.

According to a new Tes survey, one in four female secondary teachers has been subjected to sexual abuse or harassment by a pupil in the past year. By Claudia Civinini.

The Department for Education (DfE) has revised up its pupil number predictions for 2030, but the state school population is still expected to shrink by 398,000, or 5.1 per cent. By James Carr, Schools Week.

The DfE has reportedly drawn up proposals for controls on student numbers and minimum university entry requirements to curb costs and channel students towards courses deemed more valuable by the Government. By Will Hazell, iNews.