ISC Daily News Summary

According to The Sun, ministers are considering plans to reinstate masks in communal areas in schools to tackle high numbers of COVID cases. By Kate Ferguson.

Scottish research by The Poverty Alliance has found that high-quality tutoring could significantly reduce educational inequalities. Dr Laura Robertson, lead author of the report, said: "Despite the evidence that it works, young people living in poverty still don’t have equal access to high-quality tutoring free of charge." Tes.

First minister Nicola Sturgeon has said that more than half of 12 to 15-year-olds in Scotland have received their first COVID vaccination. By Henry Hepburn, Tes.

Headteachers have warned that schools could be forced to make further cuts to cover the cost of a teacher pay rise next year if the Government decides to lift the pay freeze without backing the decision with new funding. Geoff Barton, the general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said: “School and college budgets are under huge pressure and cannot absorb additional costs." By Will Hazell, iNews.

Schools Week takes a closer look at what schools can expect if the pay freeze on school staff is lifted. By Tom Belger.

The prep school at Brighton Girls has introduced shadow boxing lessons for pupils to boost female involvement in sport. Prep school headmistress Laura Comerford said: “This is a sport that has appeal to a lot of girls who may not be too excited by hockey, netball or dance. It’s something different and a way of getting girls who may not be interested in traditional games into sport and fitness." By Jo Golding, Independent Education Today.

David Thomas, co-founder of the Oak National Academy, has been appointed as a policy adviser to Nadhim Zahawi. By John Dickens, Schools Week.

A science experiment made by pupils at Stamford Welland Academy in Lincolnshire could be featured at at the COP26 climate conference. The experiment shows one way that CO2 can be recaptured from the air. BBC News.