ISC Daily News Summary

According to official figures, the number of pupils in England missing school because of COVID-19 fell by almost a half after the half-term holiday. By Will Hazell, iNews.

Ofsted has announced it will inspect all of England's schools and colleges as part of efforts to gauge how well the education system is recovering after the pandemic. By Hannah Richardson, BBC News. Headteachers have raised concerns over the Government's decision to give Ofsted extra funding to carry out more inspections. By Catherine Lough, Tes.

The general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers is expected to warn that a brief pandemic "surge" in teaching applications is already all but over during a speech today at the Schools and Academies Show. By Matilda Martin, Tes.

Sophie Bennett, assistant head (partnerships and public relations) at UCS Hampstead, explains how a new partnership event is promoting a love of STEM learning beyond the classroom.

This ISC blog is published as part of School Partnerships Week on social media, during which independent and state schools are encouraged to post about their collaborative projects using the hashtags #schoolstogether and #powerofpartnerships. The week has already seen the publication of the ISC's annual Celebrating Partnerships booklet, featuring many examples of cross sector initiatives.

The Times interviews model Zara McDermott about her new BBC3 documentary 'Uncovering Rape Culture', which will be available on iPlayer from Wednesday, 24 November. By Julia Llewellyn Smith.

France's education minister, Jean-Michel Blanquer, has signed a charter - along with his counterparts from Italy, Greece and Cyprus - which pledges a “global and international strategy for the promotion and development of Latin and ancient Greek”. By Adam Sage, The Times.

The Times has published a leading article setting out its view on the importance of studying ancient Greece and Rome.

A group of 150 engineers, scientists and other supporters, led by the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), has written to the prime minister arguing that teaching engineering in primary schools could help transform the economy. By Nicola Woolcock, The Times.

The Association of School and College Leaders has warned that increased government funding for schools to tackle bullying will not go far enough because of a "failure to sufficiently fund the education system over the past decade". By Helen Chapman, Tes.

Speaking to The Times Education Commission, actor Eddie Marsan has called for university quotas for white working-class pupils and for more grammar schools to open. By Nicola Woolcock and Holly Papworth, The Times.

There will be strike action by staff at 58 UK universities between 1 and 3 December, the University and College Union has announced. By Hazel Shearing, BBC News.