ISC Daily News Summary

Official figures from the Department for Education (DfE) have revealed that the number of pupils off school in England due to COVID-related reasons has more than tripled in a fortnight. By Kat Lay, The Times.

Sam Freedman, a former senior policy adviser at the Department for Education and a senior fellow at the Institute of Government, writes for Tes on how the pandemic has 'exposed the structural and systemic flaws at the heart of the education system'.

According to The Times, Scottish pupils have missed up to one in six days of learning due to COVID-related reasons in the past school year. By Mark McLaughlin.

The Scottish Government has confirmed that secondary school pupils in Scotland will have to continue wearing face coverings in communal areas after the Easter holidays. BBC News.

Tes reports that more than 50 independent schools are opting to keep membership of the Teachers' Pension Scheme (TPS) for current teachers whilst offering an alternative for new staff members. By Callum Mason. The article quotes David Woodgate, chief executive of the Independent Schools' Bursars Association (ISBA) and Barnaby Lenon, ISC chairman.

A report from the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) has warned that there is a "substantial risk" that teacher recruitment targets will not be met this year across a large range of secondary subjects, even those that have traditionally been successful in attracting applicants. By Matilda Martin, Tes.

Tes reports that the proportion of pupils taking GCSE design and technology (D&T) fell from 44 per cent in 2009 to 22 per cent in 2020. By John Roberts.

Writing for Independent Education Today, Liz Free, CEO and director of International School Rheintal, takes a closer look at gender equality in international schools in light of International Women's Day this year.