ISC Daily News Summary

Sajid Javid, the health secretary, and Nadhim Zahawi, the education secretary, have written a letter to parents insisting that vaccines are safe in order to boost the number of teenagers in England getting vaccinated. By Chris Smyth, The Times.

Government scientists have launched an investigation into the large amount of secondary school children receiving fake positives from lateral flow tests. Figures from Test and Trace show that false positives amongst students doubled during the week ending September 22. By Joe Pinkstone, The Telegraph.

Tes reports that the Scottish Government is planning to remove the requirement for secondary school students and staff to wear face masks in class after the October holidays. By Emma Seith.

The Government is reinstating a number of cash incentives for teacher trainees in a range of subjects in 2022-23 to improve recruitment. The subjects with reinstated bursaries include geography and design and technology. By Amy Gibbons, Tes.

Writing for Tes, Robin Walker the new minister for school standards, says that investment in teacher development is a "huge" part of the plan for education recovery.

In a letter to The Times, Neil Roskilly, vice president of the Independent Schools Association, argues that a recent report from the Institute for Fiscal Studies on the widening gap between independent school fees and state school spending per pupil downplays the impact of bursaries. The letter is the 10th one down on the page.

In the latest ISC blog, Cherise, a pupil at Pangbourne College, talks about how the school community is celebrating the achievements of black people through a series of student-led projects and activities to mark Black History Month.

A joint project between the Department for Education, Ofqual and the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service will give external researchers access to student examination and admission data from 2017 to 2020, to help shape future education policy and "learn lessons" from the grading process in 2020. By Catherine Lough, Tes.

In an exclusive for Schools Week, Jess Staufenberg explores the future of assessments and exams in England.

Campaigners have sent an open letter to schools across the Tees Valley in England calling on teachers not to read a racist slur aloud if it appears in books. The letter that was organised by Marsha Garratt, an anti-racist educator, was signed by more than 100 parents, academics, campaigners and politicians. By Charlotte Wace, The Times.