ISC Daily News Summary

The UK's chief medical officers have advised that healthy children aged 12 to 15 should be offered one dose of a COVID vaccine. By Nick Triggle and Philippa Roxby, BBC News.

Union leaders have welcomed the decision to extend the vaccine rollout to include over-12s, though Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), has said that schools have made it "absolutely clear" that their role will be "limited to hosting vaccination sessions and related administrative tasks". By Will Hazell, iNews.

Mr Barton has warned that headteachers are receiving letters from pressure groups "threatening schools and college leaders with legal action if they take part in any COVID vaccination programme". By Nick Duffy, iNews.

Matthew Bennett, head of Clifton High School, writes to The Times cautioning against any decision to use schools as vaccination centres. The letter can be found a quarter of the way down the page.

An editorial piece in The Telegraph questions the decision to vaccinate teenagers against COVID-19, arguing "it is hard not to conclude that the reasoning behind this move is as much societal and political as it is clinical".

Speaking to The Guardian, several parents share their thoughts on vaccinations for 12 to 15-year-olds. By Clea Skopeliti and Rachel Obordo.

The Times reports a decision on vaccinating over-12s in Scotland is expected to be announced soon. By David McCann.

Ministers are reportedly targeting 2024 as the year to introduce numerical grades for A-levels as part of efforts to tackle grade inflation. According to iNews, the Government will stop short of proposals to create a new grade 10 at GCSE level. By Will Hazell.

According to a study from the Education Policy Institute (EPI), the range of subjects students take at A-level has become "exceedingly narrow" following reforms to AS-levels and school funding cuts. By Will Hazell, iNews.

Other key findings from the report, commissioned by the Royal Society, are summarised by Schools Week.

A new report from ASCL has called for an overhaul of the state school admissions system to help level the playing field and give disadvantaged children "fairer access" to popular schools in affluent areas. By Camilla Turner, The Telegraph.

New research findings suggest most teachers in England lack the knowledge to disprove common myths and falsehoods about the Holocaust. By Harry Farley, BBC News.

iNews explores how rising childcare costs are forcing some parents to take unpaid leave or quit their jobs. By Katie Grant.