ISC Daily News Summary

According to a new survey by Teacher Tapp, schools with high numbers of pupils from deprived backgrounds are reporting higher teacher absence rates and less capacity for cover. By Richard Adams, The Guardian.

Shirley-Anne Somerville, Scotland's education secretary, has said that efforts to recruit retired teachers to support pupils and schools during the pandemic have resulted in an "exceptionally low" number returning to classrooms. By Tom Eden, The Times.

BBC News explores the impact staff absences are having on nurseries across the UK. By Elaine Dunkley.

Francesca Fraser, a senior researcher at Onward, writes for The Times criticising a suggestion by Ofqual that schools should suspend some subjects so teachers can focus on the core curriculum. She argues: "Depriving children of arts and sport lessens their prospects."

Ministers have reportedly dropped proposals to remove the cap on teachers' annual working hours in their forthcoming white paper, believing they can achieve a longer school day through less drastic measures. By Freddie Whittaker, Schools Week.

A report from the Social Market Foundation think tank has found that parents given multiple options for their child's school are no happier about their education than those who have limited choice. By Nicola Woolcock, The Times.

City of London Academy Shoreditch Park in Hackney and City of London Academy Highgate Hill, Archway, are asking pupils to write an Oxbridge-style essay as part of their admissions process. The scheme will also see pupils receiving elocution and etiquette lessons, along with sessions to prepare for Oxbridge and medicine and law programmes. By Nicola Woolcock, The Times.

Five Oxford University colleges are to twin with five local primary schools as part of a new scheme designed to cut educational inequality across the city. BBC News.

Schools Week reports just 47 per cent of universities have confirmed they will accept T-levels for entry this year. An investigation found that many universities are yet to decide whether to accept the qualifications, less than two weeks before the UCAS deadline for 2022 admissions. By Billy Camden.