ISC Daily News Summary

A bill presented to MPs to prevent future school closures during public health emergencies went unopposed during the first reading in the Commons yesterday. By Hannah Richardson, BBC News.

The education secretary has said it would be "much better" for pupils to be in school and taking daily lateral flow tests, rather than being sent home when someone they have close contact with tests positive. By Will Hazell, iNews.

Researchers from Imperial College London have said that COVID infections among young people, particularly those aged five to 17, have driven COVID rates in England to the highest level recorded. Helen Ward, professor of public health at Imperial College London, said: “We know that vaccination uptake in children, the 12-plus-year-olds, is not very high and that’s where we’ve got most infection." Tes.

Emaine Saner takes a look at the vaccine hesitancy among 12- to 15-year-olds in England. The Guardian.

Tes details the priorities for education set out by Nadhim Zahawi yesterday during MPs’ questions, which covered COVID lockdowns and extending the school day. By John Roberts.

Rod Grant, head of Clifton Hall School in Edinburgh, writes for Tes on helping schoolchildren build resilience following the pandemic. He said: "It’s a hard message to hear but, we’re too soft, too forgiving, too quick to apportion blame elsewhere."

Schools in Hertfordshire have been asked to reintroduce face masks following a rise in positive COVID cases. Jim McManus, the county's director of public health, has said the number of infections was "higher than it's ever been" and it was "time to act now". BBC News.

Copleston High School in Ipswich has reintroduced face masks in school, including in class, due to rising COVID cases in Suffolk. BBC News.

Westminster School has cancelled its plan to set up a sister institution in China after a new Communist Party ruling decided that all lesson plans must be approved by Beijing. By Camilla Turner, The Telegraph.

Northampton School for Girls has held a Back On The Rack school event aimed at encouraging students to re-use clothes and combat fast-fashion. BBC News.

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