ISC Daily News Summary

The education secretary has announced that an army of retired teachers will be recruited by the Government in an attempt to keep schools open in January, adding: “We will work with sector leaders and supply agencies over the coming days to offer advice to ex-teachers who want to provide support to schools and colleges.” By Camilla Turner, The Telegraph.

According to The Telegraph, some schools across the country have told children to take textbooks and laptops home as schools prepare for lessons to go virtual in January. By Camilla Turner and Sam Hall.

Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, has warned that high levels of staff absences due to COVID in the new year "would result in schools having to send home classes or year groups, or closing for on-site teaching, for short periods of time and providing remote education for those at home”. By Zoe Tidman, The Independent.

Appearing on GB News, Christine Cunniffe, head at LVS Ascot, discussed how schools are overcoming the challenges the pandemic is presenting to education. The interview starts at 17:10.

In a new report, Ofsted has claimed that low attendance “remains a stubborn concern” in schools in England. The report said: “Many schools are still working on getting back to pre-pandemic attendance levels." By Zoe Tidman, The Independent.

Official figures from the Department for Education have found that fines for school absences have plummeted by 86 per cent since the pandemic hit. By Tom Belger, Schools Week.

During a House of Lords debate on 'Children and young people in care: Accommodation' yesterday, Lord Lexden, president of the Independent Schools Association, spoke of the benefits of boarding school places for children in care suited to such an education. In response, Baroness Barran, parliamentary under secretary of state for the school system, said: “The Government recognise the opportunity offered by both the state boarding and the independent sector to provide good outcomes for children in care.” Hansard.

A Freedom of Information request from Broadstone, a pensions provider, has revealed that almost a quarter of the independent schools within the Teachers’ Pension Scheme (TPS) in January 2019 have now left. As of 23 November 2021, 287 independent schools had either already left or had notified the Department for Education of their intention to do so. By Jo Golding, Independent Education Today.

New data from Ofqual has revealed that just 195 of 5.7 million GCSE and A-level teacher assessed grades (TAGS) were changed after being reviewed by exam boards last school year. By Samantha Booth, Schools Week.

Writing for The Telegraph, Jill Kirby argues that selective schools are becoming "high-achieving, tightly disciplined centres of excellence" and that the biggest contribution the Government could make towards “levelling up” education would be to promote this educational model.