ISC Daily News Summary

The Commons Education Select Committee has requested that the closure of schools form a "significant part" of the UK's COVID inquiry and has asked the inquiry's chair to consider whether closures were an "effective and proportionate response" to the pandemic. By Callum Mason, Tes.

New findings from the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) have revealed that Year 1 pupils have fallen furthest behind in reading as a result of the COVID pandemic. By Freddie Whittaker, Schools Week.

Robin Walker, the schools minister, has advised schools to focus on exam preparation, adding that there is “no requirement to gather new evidence for TAGs into the next term”. By Helen Chapman, Tes.

Dame Rachel de Souza, children's commissioner, has said that tech bosses should face jail if they fail to prevent children being exposed to illegal content or sexually explicit material, or behaviour such as abuse, harassment, and grooming. By Charles Hymas, The Telegraph.

A new government report has found that schools have “some distance to go” to make the best use of available technology, classifying fewer than one in 10 schools as “digitally mature”. By James Carr, Schools Week.

iNews reports that grammar schools in England have less than a quarter of the proportion of disadvantaged pupils compared to non-selective schools and that at 14 grammars, more than a fifth of pupils previously attended a fee-paying prep school. By Will Hazell.

A new report for the World Afro Day campaign and Shift Insight consultancy has found that few teachers are aware that equalities legislation applies to their school’s policies on hair. By Richard Adams, The Guardian.

An evidence review published today by the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) has found that "responsive intervention" and sending parents of students who are persistently absent personalised letters or texts can help to improve their attendance. By Helen Chapman, Tes.

A report by Sinorbis, a digital marketing group, has predicted that the number of Chinese undergraduates at British universities will soar in the next few years as China’s 18-year-old population grows. By Nicola Woolcock, The Times.