ISC Daily News Summary

Writing in The Guardian, columnist George Monbiot argues that exams taken by pupils in England "inflict pain and distress on our children, narrow their minds and force them to conform".

BBC News looks at schools in Scotland, where the first exam diet in three years has begun. The full schedule of National 5, Higher and Advanced Highers began yesterday and will run until Wednesday 1 June.

Exam board AQA has introduced four new GCSE drama texts by authors from ethnic minority backgrounds as part of a drive to improve pupils’ access to diverse writers. By Catherine Lough, The Independent.

Analysis by the Institute for Fiscal Studies has raised concern over the impact of the Government's plan to restrict student loans in England, with findings suggesting almost one in four recent undergraduates who received free school meals at the age of 16 would not be able to get student loans under the proposals. By Richard Adams, The Guardian.

Nicholas Barr, a professor at the London School of Economics, has described the student loans system as a “mess”, claiming consecutive governments have made changes to it “purely for short-term political gain”. By Arthi Nachiappan, The Times.

Higher education minister Michelle Donelan has suggested UK universities could end up mirroring those in authoritarian states if they are allowed to "drift toward a more narrow definition of free speech". By Will Hazell, iNews.

Magic Breakfast, which provides healthy breakfasts to schoolchildren in disadvantaged areas of the UK, has warned of the cost of breakfast clubs and is calling on the Government to provide £75m to prevent children from going to school hungry. By Serina Sandhu, iNews.

A survey of teachers carried out on behalf of the charity Guide Dogs has revealed two in three primary and secondary school teachers lack confidence when it comes to teaching children with a vision impairment. BBC Newsround.

A book from the Biff, Chip and Kipper series, which has been used in primary schools for 30 years, has been withdrawn following complaints that its portrayal of Muslim people was racist. By Anita Singh, The Telegraph.

The Guardian looks at the steps taken in schools to help educate refugee children and enable them to go on to be successful. By Anna Fazackerley.