ISC Daily News Summary

The COVID inquiry has been accused of a “shocking oversight” after it emerged that the draft terms of reference mentioned education just once and included no reference to the words “child” or “children” in its aims. By India McTaggart, The Telegraph.

Schools Week takes a closer look at how the National Tutoring Programme, which was launched to help disadvantaged children catch-up from learning loss caused by the pandemic, has slowly been 'watered down'. By Samantha Booth.

Jim Thewliss, general secretary of School Leaders Scotland, has warned that the situation in Scottish schools is "really tough" because of "exceptionally high" staff and pupil absences. By Emma Seith, Tes.

In a new report on the future of assessments, Pearson, the company which runs the Edexcel exam board, has suggested that pupils who fail their GCSEs in maths and English should be offered alternative qualifications rather than being forced to resit the papers. By Will Hazell, iNews.

Nadhim Zahawi, the education secretary, has urged headteachers to take political impartiality in schools seriously, adding: “We now owe it to these young minds to provide a world-class education that teaches them how to think, not what to think.” By Camilla Turner, The Telegraph.

Kemi Badenoch, the equalities minister, has said that pupils should be taught “both sides of the story” of the British Empire as part of a more nuanced history curriculum. By Matt Dathan, The Times.

Geoff Barton, the general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), has warned that a new education funding crisis is "looming" and has said the chancellor Rishi Sunak "must act" to avoid recruitment becoming difficult and schools having to cut budgets. By Callum Mason, Tes.

Linguists from the University of Essex have suggested that correcting children who mispronounce words is a form of prejudice, arguing that there is no such thing as “correct” language. By Janet Eastham, The Telegraph.

The Scottish Conservatives have called for Scotland’s school curriculum to be scrapped and replaced with a “traditional” system, following concerns over "disruptive and often violent behaviour". By Daniel Sanderson, The Telegraph.