ISC Daily News Summary

Dr Jo Saxton, Ofqual’s chief regulator, has said that she hopes switching to online exams could end tiered GCSEs that sometimes put a “ceiling” on pupil potential, adding: “I don’t like the idea that it’s decided in advance which students won’t get certain aspects of the curriculum.” By Samantha Booth, Schools Week.

According to The Telegraph, under the Government's new Schools Bill, children who are persistently absent will be named on an official register in a bid to boost school attendance. By Mason Boycott-Owen.

Speaking on the new bill, ministers say the legislation would also give Ofsted the power to crack down on unregistered schools operating illegally in England and introduce compulsory registers so children not receiving a "suitable" full-time education can be identified. BBC News.

Tes reports the Department for Education (DfE) is seeking to create new powers to enforce the suspension of an independent school’s registration where serious safeguarding failings pose a risk of harm to students. Under the plans, the education secretary would also have the ability to intervene by making ongoing failure of this kind a criminal offence for the proprietor of the school. By John Roberts.

Speaking to The Independent, some independent school heads share their experiences of welcoming Ukrainian refugee pupils to their schools, with some describing the visa process as ‘frustrating’ and ‘too slow’. By Catherine Lough. The article quotes Steve Marshall-Taylor, head of the senior school at Brighton College, and Samantha Price, head of Benenden School, and Tim Firth, head of Wrekin College.

The Sunday Times reports some schools are warning pupils that if they were convicted of rape they could face a life sentence, and that sexual assault carries a maximum sentence of 10 years, as part of an initiative that aims to tackle “entitled predatory” behaviour in schools. This follows an increase in posts uploaded to Everyone’s Invited, a website where individuals can anonymously share their experiences of sexual violence at school. By Sian Griffiths. The article quotes Sarah Miles, head of sixth form at King’s Rochester. and Ben Charles, the school’s headmaster, on the importance of teaching pupils about consent.

According to an analysis of data by the Institute for Social and Economic Research (ISER) at the University of Essex, the number of male secondary school teachers in England has fallen to its lowest proportion on record. By Michael Savage, The Observer.

Schools Week reports that a growing number of schools are reporting pupils to the Government’s counter-terrorism scheme, Prevent, over suspected “incel” and other lesser-known extremist ideologies. By Tom Belger.

According to The Times, parents are being called into schools for lessons on how to pack lunchboxes, after researchers at the University of Leeds found that only 1.6 per cent of packed lunches were found to be nutritious enough. By Kat Lay.